Unearthing the Witch
by Golfbabe87
Summary: Twenty four years later the story of the veterans of the Battle of Hogwarts and their children live on. Headmistress Minerva McGonagall has restored Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to its former glory with her own personal touch. One Muggleborn witch has caught her attention and with her arrival to Hogwarts young Hugo Snape's life will never be the same.
1. Chapter 1

AN: This story takes place 24 years after the Battle of Hogwarts and _loosely_ follows the epilogue. I have tweaked with "canon" (if you believe that wretched epilogue is canon at all) to fit my needs. Please enjoy and feel free to comment and leave suggestions.

I am looking for someone who would like to be my Beta, please PM me if you are interested. Also, if you are an expert on the Wizarding World or know about England, let me in on my errors and feel free to "Brit pick" me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does.

Updated!

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Headmistress Minerva McGonagall was not pleased. The new school year was about to begin and there were many things left to do. She groaned internally and rubbed her tired eyes. Sometimes she thought she was getting too old for this. Although, Minerva expected to be around for another 30 years health permitting; she was a few years past that 100 year mark that most witches were quite proud of.

She snorted. Proud of being a century her arse. What did it mean except that she had increased her daily intake of potions and her joints ached in the cold seasons even more constantly? Not to mention being the Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry meant that she lived in a large stone castle; a castle that had approximately 142 _moving_ staircases. At least being the Headmistress meant she had an affinity with the castle in a way that allowed her to utilize the shortest routes and use the hidden corridors. Well, most of them at least.

Thinking on that, she knew quite a few young Hogwarts students who had an affinity of their own for finding themselves in precarious situations, much like their parents many years ago. Fortunately, the world was a much safer place now than it had been 24 years ago when He-Who- er Lord Voldemort had been alive.

No, now at 24 years, nearing the 25th anniversary of what was now known as Liberation Day, they were living in what the public christened as the Golden Age of the Golden Trio. In fact, Hogwarts was to host the 25th celebration within its own walls on the 2nd of May. It was to be a celebration of the freedom gained from that terrible night; a nod of recognition to the ones who gave their lives over the course of the years to the cause; and most symbolically, a festivity of the complete restoration of the school and its entire grounds.

And that wasn't looking very promising at the moment. Minerva groaned thinking of the last details that had yet to be completed for the castle, not to mention the quidditch pitch. Hogwarts had been officially closed for two years following the final battle on its very grounds. Even that had been a struggle and almost pushed back. There had simply been too much destruction and debris to clear away to declare it safe for students, faculty and staff. The schools opening was allocated to the large collaboration of volunteers that had made it possible to reopen the school in such a short time frame. During the first few years many of the classrooms had been temporary and the class schedules had been in disarray. It had been difficult to both get the curriculum finalized and find qualified instructors willing to teach at the school. Hogwarts had become famous to an extent, infamously so.

While the Defense Against the Dark Arts position was no longer cursed there were quite a few superstitions and rumors, and even fear regarding the well-known "Last Stand of Hogwarts." It was no secret (for the most part), what had taken place on the grounds, and it was most difficult to hide the fact that the quantity of ghosts that resided on the grounds had increased triple fold. Most of them were quite pleasant and prideful of having sacrificed themselves for what they deemed a noble cause. But some spirits were not alluring, and more than a few were hostile. Not all of the ghosts that remained had been fighting against Lord Voldemort. This had led to a few of the spirits being "dealt" with, which was most difficult to do.

A loud crash followed by an explosion came from outside and Minerva rushed to the nearest window of her office and scanned her eyes worriedly over to where the crash had obviously taken place. She groaned and felt nearly reading to pull out her silvery grey hair. This was the exact reason she was not only devoid of her hair color but on blood pressure potion. The sheer stress of her position, and a half giant named Hagrid. The rubble and smoke clearing in the sky was obviously coming from the quidditch pitch, which was currently finishing its final revisions.

The Hogwarts' temporary pitch had been discarded ten years ago, but the new one was a joke to serious quidditch players when it had first opened. It had slowly gotten built upon and so far it was turning out to be quite spectacular mostly thanks to former world champion seeker, Professor Krum. That is if the individuals responsible for its final reconstruction could keep from destroying it in the process.

The quidditch pitch was undergoing the final stages of remodel, and for some insane reason she had entertained Neville and Hagrid and allowed them to oversee the construction. Neville had been eager from a herbologist standpoint regarding the grass and plants within and around the stadium. Minerva had no idea that vegetation was so important to the sport, and doubted it was in actuality. Apparently, Neville was planting a new shrub that would discourage the midnight trips to the stadium that students were known to make.

Neville had assured Minerva that the plants were entirely safe, and would do no lasting harm to the student. What Professor Longbottom considered lasting harm was another thing entirely; the years had shown that he was the Hagrid equivalent to wizarding plants. Well, similar in some aspects, but he was a brilliant professor and the students adored him. This had been made apparent in the last few decades and Minerva had suspected that this was one of the ways the wizard coped with the aftermath of the war; dealing with plants and teaching rather than spend time with actual people. He was one of the few professors that lived outside of the castle during the school term as his wife Hannah Longbottom, nee Abbott, was the landlady of the Leaky Cauldron. Neville stayed at the school a few nights during the week, but for the most part he went home to his wife at The Leaky Cauldron.

Minerva could hardly blame him. She eyed the desk drawer that housed her well-loved bottle of Fire Whiskey. Returning to her desk, she decided that it was five o'clock somewhere and it was only shy of five by a few hours anyway. She pulled out the aged whiskey and grabbed a tumbler from her glass cabinet. She twirled the amber liquid around in her glass and took a sip and felt the liquid travel down her throat.

Her second source of aggravation came from the two new professors about to begin teaching at Hogwarts this year. And truth be told, she was slightly anxious for them. Oh they were highly recommended and well sought after, but accepting a teaching position at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was one thing, but staying the whole year and coming back for next one was another thing entirely. The first year under contract tended to weed out the keepers as she referred to them as. Minerva wanted to find the ones that were willing to devote their time and person to the students and the Hogwarts legacy. So far, quite a few faculty had come and gone, not to mention over the years much about the school had changed; the sorting of students into houses being one of them.

The sorting had undergone a huge change since decades past. It was an issue of much controversy among the Board of Governors and former Hogwarts Alumni alike, but in order to increase collaboration and community between the houses the sorting had been revised. There was one thing that had been made clear to Minerva from the war, and that was the prejudice that separated the wizarding community. In her opinion it started young, and the separation of the students in the houses created loyalty and affinity for those members in their respective houses, but it also divided the houses, ultimately dividing Hogwarts and leaving it vulnerable. This was not a mistake she herself intended to make.

Merlin bless his soul, but Albus had not been the most partial of men. As Headmaster it was his duty to be impartial to the houses and treat students equally. Minerva was not ignorant to the fact that it was nearly impossible to be impartial (and a war had been going on for many decades) and that every professor had their favorite students, but it was vital to at least try. The Head of House were allowed to show some regard for their respective houses, but still effort was appreciated. Albus had clearly distrusted the students in Slytherin House and praised those in Gryffindor. In her opinion it had out-casted those in Slytherin, and had secured those unsure of their position on blood status to swearing fealty to a mad man all for the sake of feeling as if they had no other option. Not to mention that students in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had been cast into the shadows and treated as pawns in the war excluding a select few.

No, if there was one thing Minerva McGonagall intended to do it was to bring together the four houses and unify the school. And well, it was getting there, slowly but surely. There were still stereotypes in place, but the houses were no longer hostile towards one another, for the most part.

Minerva believed much of her success belonged to the resorting of every student for each school year. It was slightly difficult to do and had taken a lot of work and she had received much criticism from the Board of Governors, but the students had seemed to thrive.

The sorting of the new students was the same as it had been since the founding of Hogwarts; each new first year was sorted at the welcoming feast in front of faculty, staff and student. The difference came from the end of the school year in which every student was called in to meet with their respective Head of House. The students made an appointment with their Head of House and were privately re-sorted. The process was entirely the same. The hat was placed upon the child's head and the hat still depicted their house based upon the qualities of the student and factored in the students' own wishes.

This made it so that students who wanted to belong to another house or try something different it could be made possible, and they could rest assured that they would not have to stay in one particular house if they did not want to. It helped the students become more accepting of others and appreciate the different traits they each had to offer. For example, one student may have been in Huffelpuff one year, but may be a Slytherin the next, only to be resorted and stay in Hufflepuff for the rest of their years. For some reason, this benefit the student and made them seem less weak for being in the house of Hufflepuff, which had a long standing history of being looked over, despite the well-known sacrifice of Cedric Diggory and Auror Nymphadora Lupin, nee Tonks.

More importantly, the re-sorting gave the students an option, a choice. It was a symbol that said as you grow older you change and you are not required to stay the same person from year to year; you are responsible for the person you become. It was about giving the students opportunities, and letting them know that no matter what happened there was always a choice. There was always a choice, sometimes not always apparent, nor the easiest, but they existed.

While many past generations of Hogwarts students objected to the system there were many that approved. In fact, many of the students were eager for the end of the year sorting now. It was a time of excitement that sent the school alight with whispers. Many of them conspired over who would end up where. Most of the students ended up being sorted into two different houses in their time at Hogwarts. It was not uncommon to stay in one house for the entire seven years, but nor was it rare to be sorted into three different houses. The few that had been sorted into all four houses prided themselves for having known all the secrets, or most of, each house. It also had the indirect impact of making the end of year awards of quidditch cup and house cup more unpredictable and stimulating. It was far more competitive and wavering in which house won each year. Although, Slytherin and Gryffindor typically had the most competitive quidditch team each year, it wasn't impossible for the other two houses to win. Indeed the houses were still known for their respective traits, but the sorting system simply paid homage to and recognized that each student had a multitude of characteristics that spanned across the houses.

Minerva sent her finished glass of whiskey down and stoppered the fine bottle and replaced it in her desk. She eyed the Hogwarts first year student registry and stared at the name that had been causing her trouble over the last few months.

In bold cursive lettering the name taunted her, as did the multitude of returned official Hogwarts acceptance letters that lay piled on her desk.

_Harper Rae Carey._

It was proving to be quite difficult to contact and locate this particular Muggleborn student. There usually were always minor complications when recruiting the Muggleborn students as the concept of magic was a rather large issue to tackle. She had officially designated specific professors each year to make house visits to the families in order to ensure them that the acceptance letter to school was not a faux pas. And ultimately, there were always a few students that were unable to attend due to the culture, religion etc. of the family. But for the most part, the system they had developed at the school to integrate the children and their families who were unfamiliar to the wizarding world was quite accomplished.

Minerva had inclinations as to why this case was proving particularly difficult, and was afraid that her hunch would prove to be correct. The young girl was of dual citizenship, born from an American Mother and British Father. While she was born in London, her family had been living in the United States for three years leading up to their unfortunate accident.

The automobile accident had left the girl an orphan at the tender age of five.

The girl had been officially declared a ward to the state of Louisiana and had been living with foster families ever since her parents' death having no known relatives. Minerva was unfamiliar with the foster care system of America, but could only hope that it had given the girl a better upbringing as seen with arguably the most infamous orphan of the wizarding world, Tom Marvolo Riddle.

Minerva had been in contact with a few of the American Wizarding Schools in regards to Ms. Carey's case. The schools had investigated Ms. Carey's particular situation and had decided it best to let the girl live on as a Muggle. Apparently, it was not just the foster family that had to agree to allow the child to attend a wizarding institution, but the case worker had to be dealt with along with other pertinent members of the foster system. Minerva suspected that the decision for the girl to remain in the Muggle world had come more from the fact that there were multiple avenues that had to be dealt with and it increased exposure of the magical world to multiple Muggles. There was obviously a security risk to be considered. However, as the girl was a viable candidate for Hogwarts having been born in London, Minerva felt as if she owed it to Ms. Carey to invite her to Hogwarts and instigate her own investigation. Let it be known that Minerva McGonagall was an instigator for her students.

It was showing to be a trying case, and one that would not leave her mind at ease.

All efforts to contact Ms. Carey had been inconclusive resulting in unresponsive or returned acceptance letters. Minerva had sent a few case workers from the Ministry of Magic to take a look, but their efforts had proven in vain. The Ministry was willing to look into these situations to an extent, but the fact was it simply didn't occur that frequently. Muggleborns made up less than 15% of the students in Hogwarts, and fewer than those came from broken homes whose families were intolerable to magic. However, of the Muggleborns that appeared in the schools registration, the percentage of attending was as high as it had ever been.

Minerva was quite proud of that and gave credit to the system they had developed to educate the families of the wizarding world in a manner that made them feel safe, secure, and more importantly in control. She had found that when Muggles felt they had options or felt they had some measure of authority, they were less hostile towards magic. Furthermore, many of them required concrete evidence in this new age dominated by technology. Hogwarts' entire Muggle Studies Department had undergone a complete overhaul and they had even integrated a measure of magic infused technology within their programs as actual Muggle technology would not work in Hogwarts.

Hogwarts had even been known to give tours to the considering families of Muggleborn witches and wizards. However, if they chose not to attend the families' memories were professionally altered. In the end, they remembered that they had fleetingly considered a distant boarding school and had decided to keep their child closer to home instead.

This situation was different entirely, and it was time for a more direct approach.

Shifting stone reverberated through the tower as the gargoyle leading to her office moved to accommodate for the altered stair cases. The sound of thick dragon hide boots made its way closer as a tall imposing figure hovered at the entrance of Headmistress McGonagall's office.

The man crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame and stared at her for a moment appraising her before lifting an eyebrow in inquiry.

"Well don't just stand there Severus, have a seat," she said after a moment.

"I was under the impression that this would not take all day." His voice was as captivating as ever despite the raspy quality it had acquired due to the near fatal wound Nagini's bite had inflicted.

"Well, it might actually. In fact, this may involve some effort on your part."

"Do tell." Severus uncrossed his arms and walked across the floor to sit in front of her desk.

Minerva interlaced her fingers atop her desk. "I have a Muggleborn student, a Ms. Carey that is proving to be most difficult to get a hold of."

"It is Professor Smith's job to coordinate the retrieval of Muggleborn students," he interrupted.

"Yes, but this is a special case."

"Indeed."

"Severus, I need you to go investigate the girls situation. She has not only been unresponsive, but the American Wizarding Senate has deemed her case unsuitable for-"

"Forgive me Headmistress, but how is this our concern? I assume the child lives within the States as the A.W.S. is involved, and their decisions are out of our jurisdiction," he drawled.

"It is more complicated than that. You see the child is of dual citizenship and lives within the foster system." Minerva noticed Severus' body tense slightly and nodded at him. "My thoughts exactly; I don't feel confident that the Americans have given their complete effort with her case considering Ms. Carey's particular situation. And while I am ignorant to most of their dealings, I and not unfamiliar."

"What is it you expect me to do exactly?" he asked at last.

"Why Severus, I thought you'd never ask."

He sighed and brought a finger up to press against his forehead. "Are you asking me to go retrieve the wretched girl from the bloody States?"

"If feasible, yes."

"Feasible?"

"Well, it might require you to look into her situation for a few days. I'll trust your judgment of course."

"You're asking too much now and you know it." Severus' voice began to grow in volume and anger.

"I would not if I did not believe it was important."

"What you're asking would go around the American Wizarding government-"

"Yes, this is why Harry agreed to-"

He threw his hands up in the air. "Fucking fantastic, you've involved Potter. That's why you've asked me to act as your personal hound and retrieve the brat. Once Potter's involved you knew Hermione would want to help." Severus pointed a finger and glared hard at her calm expression. "You know how she is about hopeless cases and such."

"I apologize Severus, but I really believe it might take more than just-"

Severus stood angrily from his chair and stared down his nose at her. "What you believe is of no consequence. Congratulations Minerva, your manipulative powers as Headmistress is becoming worthy of the late Albus Dumbledore."

With a flourish and a swirl of dark robes Severus left the office. The door closed with a bang that caused some dust and loose papers to flutter. Minerva sighed wearily and took out the bottle of Odgen's Old Fire Whiskey for the second time that day. Retrieving her tumbler from the cabinet once more she proceeded to poor a generous amount.

"Well, that went rather well, if I do say so."

Minerva frowned at the portrait and replied, "I find that I disagree Albus."

The portrait of former Headmaster Albus Dumbledore peered at her from behind his spectacles. "Ah, but I do believe it did." His eyes twinkled at her as he smiled.

"Explain to me exactly," she gestured with her glass of fire whiskey in hand, "how that went well. I indirectly interfered with his family affairs, and you know how private a man he is."

"Certainly."

Minerva stared at him and the portrait smiled back. "Infuriating, the lot of you. I suppose I can see if Professor Smith is available. I do recall she was accompanying another Muggleborn family to Diagon Alley this weekend. I suppose Brittany wouldn't mind the extra task. Perhaps she could use it as any excuse to visit her sister. I think she lives somewhere over in the Southern States."

"You needn't do that my dear."

"Well why not? I have to get this resolved somehow."

"Ah, but Severus didn't exactly say he wouldn't retrieve the girl, did he?" Albus Dumbledore smiled knowingly at her bemused expression.

* * *

"Ambition is not a vice of little people." - Michel de Montaigne

"I know all those people, I have friendly, social, and criminal relations with the whole lot of them." – Mark Twain


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Please continue to read and enjoy. Please review, reviews are love and inspiration. They make me update faster. I need a Beta, are you up to the challenge? ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does.

* * *

This was not how Severus Tobias Snape, former Master of Potions of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, current Head of Slytherin House, Head of the Defense Against the Dark Arts Department, and decorated war hero boasting an Order of Merlin First Class, wanted to spend the rest of his bloody holiday.

Chasing down an American eleven year-old chit indeed.

He snorted, it wasn't as if he had a say in the matter. Severus knew Minerva was correct, it was going to take more than some Ministry of Magic social case worker and the Head of the Muggle Studies Department of Hogwarts, Professor Smith, knocking on the American Wizarding Senate to get close enough to investigate the young Ms. Carey and open her case file for review. Oh no, Severus knew exactly what it was going to take and it didn't include the word "please."

Indeed it was going to take famous celebrity Harry bloody Potter and his band of righteous do gooders. And that was exactly what it took, in a round-about way of course. Oh it seemed casual enough. Minerva stopped to chit chat with Hermione one day and asked her for legal advice, as she was Head of the Magical Law Enforcement branch at the Ministry of Magic. Hermione had come home that evening with that look he knew all too well. It was a look she had given him over twenty years ago after she had decided to infiltrate his sad excuse of a life and bring him out of his self-induced isolation. Yes, he smiled; she was a stubborn and determined witch that was sure.

Every once in a while he could picture her brilliant mind being sorted into Ravenclaw, her cunning in Slytherin, and even her loyalty in Hufflepuff.

Rolling his eyes, he knew first-hand what Minerva was up to, and that it was only a matter of time before he got directly involved, willingly or not. Nevertheless, Hermione had flooed Potter and they spoke over brunch one day with hordes of children surrounding them. Hermione had directed Potter, who was the current Head of the Auror Department, and also occasionally guest lecturer in Defense Against the Dark Arts for years 1-4, to take up her plight and speak with the Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt, who in turn spoke with the President of the American Wizarding Senate and so on and so forth.

It actually had been quite simple, as the American President was an official member of the Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix fan club and support group.

Morons, the lot of them.

Now, he was on his way to the Hogwarts apparition point and heading over to the Ministry in order to grab an over sea portkey to the States.

Severus was in mid apparition when he felt a small body collide with him and transport them both to the Ministry.

* * *

The Ministry of Magic was full of activity and Severus glared at the body that collided with him. Severus roughly pulled the invisibility cloak from his sons form and grabbed his arm to drag him away from the commotion.

"You have approximately one minute to explain yourself and this," he held out the invisibility cloak.

Hugo shuffled from foot to foot not feeling nearly as brave as the Gryffindor he was supposed to be for second year. Truthfully, he still felt like a Ravenclaw, but his Mum had assured him that he would do just as well in Gryffindor as he had in Ravenclaw. Looking up into the angry expression of his Father he winced slightly and his cheeks colored. He'd promised to keep his mouth shut, but it was impossible to keep anything from his Dad, or his sister, and Mum. Well, maybe he just wasn't the best at lying. Which most everyone knew of course which is why he was often on the out skirts of clan activities, and really stunk in his opinion. His sister, Rose, got in on all the dirt, and despite having been sorted into Ravenclaw this year, she had been in Slytheirn the last two years, despite the first year spent in Gryffindor.

"I'm waiting young man."

It was best not to keep his Dad waiting. And it all suddenly came out in a rush.

"Well, I knew you were going on a trip to the States and I really wanted to go, since I know we had to cut our trip short to Grandma and Granddad's, and I just thought I could go with you and keep you company you know? Maybe even help out, I'm quite good with charms and hexes, but you know that and-"

Severus sighed and interrupted him, "Does your Mother known where you are?" The boy shook his head negatively. "Does anyone?" Hugo shook his head again and Severus raised an eyebrow.

Hugo winced and nodded reluctantly. "Rose, and well, maybe Perdita." Oh man, now he was in big trouble. Perdita was going to be so angry at him, not to mention his sister. But, well frankly he figured Rose didn't much care; she was always taking risks and going under Dads' nose. Rose was always taking risks and really wanted to be an Auror like Uncle Harry. She did have a bad habit of boasting that she was the famous Harry Potters god-daughter.

But then again Uncle Harry had four god-children and four kids of his own. They were all family and related in some way, at least he thought so. He supposed that Uncle Harry, Ron, Neville, and Aunt Luna weren't technically blood related but Mum had always said that as you grow older you find out who your real family is and sometimes it's not always the people you were born to. Mum also made it a point to say that you shouldn't disregard blood relations quite so easily as well. That whole lecture got really confusing in Hugo's opinion.

Hugo thought he had the best and worst family in the world. It was amazing because there were so many of them and he had tons of Aunts, Uncles and cousins, but it was also too big and sometimes he really just wanted be by himself. It was hard to get noticed sometimes in such a large crowd, and he knew his Mum worried about him making friends since he wasn't nearly as social as his sister.

After his first year at Hogwarts his Mum had asked him who his best friend was and he had looked at her oddly and said that of course it was Rose. Which was good and bad he supposed; Hugo knew his sister loved him and she always made time for and watched out for him, but she could also be quite girly when the mood struck and wanted to spend time with Lily and Roxanne. They always liked to complain together about the twins, Molly and Lucy. While still family, the Molly and Lucy could get pretty snobby. Mum said they reminded her of her former classmates Parvarti and Lavender, and that they were in a phase and they'd probably grow out of it in time. Although, his Mum hadn't sounded so sure when she had said it.

"Perdita?" Severus asked. "I should have known. She's the one who stole Potter's cloak." Hugo nodded hesitantly. "We'll pay your beloved Uncle a visit and let your Mother known where you are, she's probably going mad right about now."

"Expecto Patronum!" Hugo was always amazed to see a Patronus charm. His sister could conjure a non-corporeal one, and he'd seen his Mum's otter on more than one occasion. But he loved seeing his Dad's; it was a sleek and powerful panther.

His Dad had once told him that his patronus used to be a doe, and had resembled the patronus of Uncle Harry's Mum. He didn't really like to talk about it much since it involved the war, not many of the grownups did. Oh, they would tell outrageous stories from their travels and when prodded they would divulge more information, but for the most part it was something that had happened a long time ago that no one wanted to dwell on. He knew his parents would talk about it sometimes, and they had told Rose and him whatever they had wanted to know.

Hugo was no fool. He knew that his parents had killed people in the war, and he knew that his Dad had been a double agent and a Death Eater. Hugo understood that his Father had been forced to kill innocents and at one point in his life had been a true Death Eater.

He also knew that at one point he had been in love with Uncle Harry's Mum.

Mum said that this was why Dad treated Harry like he did, sometimes like his own kid that had never grown up. Uncle Harry was like a symbol of the life his Dad had never had, and the son. Hugo had been confused and a little hurt by this revelation, but had come to understand the meaning behind it more than anything as he got older. He prided himself in being mature for his age, sometimes he felt as if he was the older sibling and Rose the younger one; she was always getting in fights with Dad. His Mum explained it was because they were so similar.

Hugo's Dad referred to Uncle Harry's deceased Mum as a past obsession, and the only thing in the war that had kept him from going mad. Well, that and having to constantly clean up after Uncle Harry, Ron, and his Mum. But it had been his Mum that had not only saved his Dad's life, but his soul. If there was one thing Hugo was sure of in the world, it was that his parents loved each other, him and his sister more than anything in the world.

After the Battle of Hogwarts, his Mum had immediately gone back to the Shrieking Shack to pay her respects to him, only to find him still alive, but barely. Subsequently, she'd singlehandedly taken care of him during his rehabilitation. Mum said his Dad was some kind of closet romantic or whatever. Apparently, Uncle Ron and his Mum had almost gotten married at one point after the war, but had broken up after a few years. Hugo could not have pictured Uncle Ron being his Dad. That would have been way too weird. Plus, Mum and Uncle Ron always argued at some point during every family get together. For some reason that made everyone laugh, especially Uncle Harry.

At the young age of twelve, Hugo knew a great deal, and felt that out of all of the clan children, as they referred to themselves as, him and Rose knew the most about what had really occurred. He knew his parents, and about his family, more than he think they were aware about. He knew his parents didn't think they were the best of people because of everything they had done, but Hugo thought they were, perhaps because of it.

Rose had been the one to really get upset one time. He remembered it clearly. It had been during her first year at Hogwarts and she was a proud Gryffindor along with many of the cousins. But she had come home during the Holidays angry at Dad in particular, hearing all of the rumors and reading from the archives of Hogwarts about their parents. Many things she read they hadn't been told yet and had been unaware. Rose felt ashamed and angry at being the daughter of the infamous Severus Snape, murderer of the beloved Headmaster Dumbledore.

Hugo remembered the day when she had stormed down to their quarters one night and screamed at him and Mum. She called them liars, and called their Father a murderer. Hugo had never seen his parents so angry or despondent. Rose had flooed directly to the Potter household and had stayed with them over the Holidays. Hugo's hero was his Dad, and before that he had never imagined he could feel so betrayed. For the first time, he had seen his Father as a man, and he'd seen that man torn down by his sister and reduced to anguished tears.

It was the only time he'd ever seen his Father cry.

It was impossible not to see Rose during the Holidays, since the event usually took place at Godric's Hollow where the Potter's resided. Supposedly the Potter's had briefly lived at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place before Uncle Harry had turned it into a home for orphans from the war. Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny said the place looked a lot better than it had, but it still gave them chills.

Rose had forgiven Dad after the Holidays. Their parents had a long talk with her, and him. A lot of it he didn't really understand, but they had wanted to include him and not make the same mistakes as they had with Rose. They had conceded that they should have told Rose and prepared her better for what to expect at Hogwarts being the eldest child of Severus Snape and Hermione Granger-Snape.

His parents were famous individually, but as a married couple they were almost as gossiped about in The Daily Prophet as Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry. Hugo has even seen _his_ picture in the paper a few times. His parents did a lot to keep them away from the press though, and Mum was always angry at the Prophet and preferred Aunt Luna's paper The Quibbler. Aunt Luna always had the best articles, and Hugo loved reading about the places she visited.

The sleek panther darted off after circling Hugo and went to find his Mum.

"Now, let' go see your Uncle Harry." Hugo could have sworn he saw a wicked glimmer in his Dad's eyes.

* * *

Harry James Potter was having a busy day.

More correctly, he was having a typical day on the job as Head of the Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic. It was a position that held a lot of stress, but less of the dangerous field work he had been involved in during his earlier years. Ron and he had travelled across the globe in search of dark witches and wizards in order to bring justice to the world for nearly fifteen years. They had been Aurors almost instantly after the war. There had been a lot to do right after, and both Ron and Harry had felt compelled to help and do something. Or maybe it was more from not being able to sit still and go back to being a child. He had never really had a sincere childhood to begin with.

They had completed their auror training on the job, filling out paper work, taking exams, and getting the amount of required active field work. Ron had helped out for the first year, but had quit and decided to work for George at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes instead. Harry thought Ron was primarily concerned for George's health more than anything. But after Fred married Angelina Johnson, Ron felt like he could back off a bit and returned to join Harry out in the field as an auror.

Hermione said Harry just wasn't used to not being in danger all the time and having someone out to kill him. He smirked at that. There was no way him and Ron would have been happy studying for their N.E.W.T.'s after everything they had been through. No, he and Ron had proudly accepted their honorary N.E.W.T.'s and First Class Order of Merlin's, unlike Hermione who had sat for hers.

People had different ways of dealing, and for Harry it had been chasing after dark wizards and building a loving and stable home environment with his wife Ginny. And there was nothing in the world he loved more than his family. He was a proud husband, father, uncle, and god-parent. The clan of children he considered his family was certainly growing. Ginny, Hermione and Luna had been working together over past few years creating a magical family tree that altered and shifted as the years passed.

Ginny was certainly happy about his position as Head of the Auror Department; she was always worried about him despite knowing his abilities. She said it only took one random lucky shot to get killed. And she was right. Ginny was fiercely protective of her family and possibly afraid that something would happen to them. The death of Fred Weasley had affected them all in varying degrees.

Harry sorted through a few of his owl posts and checked his magical e-mail. It was definitely one of the most convenient inventions from the Muggle world that had integrated into the wizarding one. It still amazed him that Steve Jobs was a squib. Harry had met the man a few times and had thought him quite pleasant. It was mind boggling to think about how much money the man had from his success in the Muggle world and now he was revolutionizing the wizarding world. It had been slow going at first, but had eventually caught on; Harry's Father-in-law being one of the biggest supporters in the Ministry.

He reached over and tossed a few unimportant letters in the trash and stopped when he found a postcard from his godson Teddy. Teddy and Victoire, Bill and Fleur's eldest, were currently travelling around Asia. Lily often expressed her excitement that Teddy would be a part of their family officially if he married Victoire. And it was looking like it might happen sooner rather than later. Ginny suspected that Teddy had already bought her a ring and was going to propose during the trip. Teddy acted much like the eldest son in his family, and James and Teddy were as thick as thieves despite being nearly six years apart in age.

His musings were interrupted by a knock on his open office door. He looked up from the postcard to see his secretary Mr. Andrew Patrick in his door frame. "I'm terribly sorry sir," he began "but-" he was rudely interrupted.

"Oh for Merlin's sake get out of the way." Harry blinked seeing one of his youngest nephews and his best friend's husband walk into his office.

"It's fine Andrew, thanks." Harry dismissed the clearly befuddled man and he left after shooting a nasty glare towards Severus.

"Severus, what can I-?"

"Save it Potter. I want you to explain this to me," he said holding out the invisibility cloak and resting a hand on Hugo's shoulder.

Harry saw the cloak and blanched. "Damnit, Perdita," he groaned taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Harry. It was my fault, I asked Perdita to help me and-"

"No, Hugo. Perdita has been having a problem with telling the truth and taking things that don't belong to her lately."

"Indeed." Harry shot Severus a look that clearly said don't go there.

Harry stepped around from his desk and took the cloak from Severus. "I'll have a talk with her when I get home. Other than I'm assuming Hugo using the cloak for some nefarious plot, is there anything else I can help you with?"

"You should know Potter, you and Hermione are the reason I'm at the Ministry picking up my international portkey."

Harry's eyes widened, "Is that today?"

Severus gave him a blank stare. "Yes, right then, of course it is. It's greatly appreciated you know."

"Yes, and since you appreciate it so much you can take my failure of a spy son back home for me."

Hugo crossed his arms and glared up at his Dad. Severus shrugged at him, "It was a poor attempt at best. You were much too loud and blatantly obvious at home that you were up to something. A characteristic that I am sure your Uncle Harry could explain to you in detail."

"Yes, and may I comment how wonderful it is to welcome Hugo to Gryffindor this upcoming year."

Severus scowled at Harry who merely grinned at him. Hugo looked between the two adults and sighed. This always happened. Sometimes he felt that they forgot he was even here and they were talking about him for Merlin's sake!

"Anyway, I have a meeting I'm about to head off to so I really can't. But, I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem for the office to schedule the portkey for the both of you. In fact it might be a great idea for you to bring Hugo. He would be a wonderful student representative of the school, and perhaps calm the family down. I don't know why I didn't think of you bringing along a student. In fact, you could both stay and take in a bit of the sights while you're there. Make it a bit of a trip."

Hugo's face lit with barely concealed excitement and was quickly abolished by Severus' clipped, "that is entirely out of the question."

Harry none too subtly cleared his throat and motioned hi head towards the despondent looking Hugo. Severus' eyes softened slightly and he sighed internally while rolling his eyes upward.

"I suppose this might be acceptable. But for the day only."

Hugo's eyes quickly met his Dad's. "Really?" he whispered hopefully.

Severus looked to Harry once more, "I trust you are confidant in the security of this voyage? I will not take my son to a hostile environment."

Harry nodded, "I've looked into it thoroughly with Hermione. It should be perfectly safe."

"Nothing is ever perfectly safe with you lot."

Harry smiled sheepishly and shrugged a shoulder at him. "I can send word to Hermione for you, if you'd like."

"I'll take care of it. Who knows what she'll hear coming from you. Come along Hugo."

Harry watched the pair leave his office shaking his head already exhausted from his verbal sparring match with Severus first thing in the morning. Normally he'd still be in bed and not in his office until a few hours later.

Suddenly, Hugo came back around the corner and gave him a quick "Thanks Uncle Harry." Harry gave him a quick thumbs up before Hugo rushed back around the corner.

* * *

"You will always be your child's favorite toy." ~Vicki Lansky, Trouble-Free Travel with Children, 1991

"Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older they judge them; sometimes they forgive them." ~Oscar Wilde

AN: This isn't my favorite chapter, but hopefully you enjoyed it.

Trivia: Anyone know where Perdita's name came from and why?


	3. Chapter 3

AN: I have no qualms with Christianity or Louisiana! I love the Sookie Stackhouse series! Enjoy. Please leave reviews. The more reviews I get the more I will want to keep writing. I am still looking for a beta.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does.

As with the last two chapter minor changes have been made.

* * *

Hugo was having a marvelous time. Very rarely did he ever get to spend time alone with his Father, especially during the school year when both his parents and he were preoccupied with school.

His Dad always tried to make sure this family spent time together, but Hugo knew he was pressed for time and didn't mind postponing things, for the most part that is. Hugo spent more of his time with his Mum, and Rose tended to drift towards his Dad. They always spoke about Dark Magic and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Uncle Harry promised that he'd help Rose get a one summer working for the Auror Department so she could see if it was something she was interested in doing in the future.

Both Hugo and his sister always had good marks, not always the top, but certainly impressive. Their parents always emphasized the importance of trying your very best at everything you attempted to do. Hugo still wasn't sure what he wanted to do with himself but, he figured he had a little time at least. His parents had said just to keep his mind and heart open and study as hard as he could for his O.W.L.'s to make sure he had options for later.

But walking around the streets of New Orleans, Louisiana had resulted in one of the best days of his life. Hugo was well acquainted with Muggle society, after all his grandparents were Muggles and they spent a few weeks every summer visiting them in Australia.

Hugo loved the ocean, and had tried surfing for the first time two summers ago. He had never been so sore and tired in his life. Rose wasn't too bad actually, but he thought it was because she had snogged the neighbor's son who had been helping them. He had teased her the whole way home. He sniggered, Dad had been really mad at that, and Mum had nearly throttled him to keep him from hexing the poor boy she had snogged.

But still, New Orleans was the biggest and most crowded city he had ever been to. Hogsmeade was always full of people, but the wizarding community was slight in comparison to the Muggle population in the world. And they came in all different shapes and sizes and wearing the most varied dress styles he had ever saw in his life. He didn't think his Dad enjoyed it nearly as much as he did, as he kept glaring at the Muggles who bumped into them occasionally. It resulted in Hugo getting pulled around a bit more while they were walking down the streets but he didn't mind.

His Dad was naturally suspicious of anyone that he hadn't fought in the war with; he'd told Hugo that himself. Sometimes it surprised him the way his Dad spoke to some of his Aunt's and Uncle's, but the way he acted somewhat contradicted his words. Mum always thought it was funny when he got especially foul tempered. He tended to settle down some when his Mum would snog him. He wrinkled his nose at that. They were always bloody snogging. It was annoying. One evening during last year a Ravenclaw in Albus' year had caught them snogging in the Astronomy tower.

After they had arrived at the American International Magical Station in New Orleans via portkey, his Dad had been strict to lay down the rules.

"_While I admire your attempt at subterfuge, do not think I am impressed with your scheme or that you will go unpunished for your stunt later. Our time here is limited and this trip is hardly an excuse for holiday. However, if you wish we may spend the majority of the day touring the more _cultured_ aspects of New Orleans, which happens to be Muggle."_

_Hugo's eyes lit with enthusiasm and he was eager to explore. _

"_More importantly, when we visit Ms. Carey's home we will be representatives from Hogwarts School for Gifted Children." _

_Hugo eyes furrowed and he frowned. "I don't understand, are we pretending to be Muggles?"_

"_Yes. I spoke with the American wizarding schools who attempted to recruit our notorious Ms. Carey and they were quite adamant on not presenting our case to these particular Muggles." Severus looked at his sons face. "That was my reaction as well. Apparently, Ms. Carey's Muggle foster parents are Christian extremists. They have advised me to approach the situation with care and as a Professor from an overseas boarding school. And you will behave as such, understood?"_

_Hugo agreed, "Have they obliviated them?"_

_Severus nodded, "Their memories have been tampered with as necessary."_

This excursion was getting far more interesting by the minute in Hugo's eyes.

They hadn't spent much time in the wizarding community within New Orleans, but it was certainly impressive. Nonetheless, Hugo preferred Hogsmeade. The Muggle city of New Orleans was by far superior in his opinion. They first went to visit the French Quarter and headed to the New Orleans Mint, which he learnt was a former branch of the United States Mint. On the outside it operated as a Muggle museum, but it also featured a wizarding bank where they exchanged their European wizarding currency for American. Although, it had been primarily American Muggle currency that they had exchanged for as they would be spending their time in Muggle cities primarily.

Hugo enjoyed listening to the people talk in passing. Not only were the Muggles interesting to look at but, the majority had a distinct way of speaking he had never heard before. His Father said it was particular to the southern most states in America.

They ate in the French Market at Café du Monde and Hugo had the most delicious beignets while his Father sipped a café au lait. New Orleans boasted many beautiful cemeteries and distinct above-ground tombs, the oldest and most famous of which, Saint Louis Cemetery. After visiting the cemetery they paid a brief visit to the National World War II Museum, and finally the New Orleans Museum of Art in City Park (which was one of Hugo's favorite). The day was certainly busy, but they travelled from site to site via apparition, except for the one time he cajoled his Father into taking a street car. The form of transportation was just so outlandish and precarious that Hugo had wanted to ride it once. It had been slightly difficult to get his Father to agree, and he did not enjoy it in the least if the way he kept sending disgusted looks at the Muggles invading his space was any indication.

The day had been filled with site seeing, and as it grew later Hugo grew worried that he had taken up his Father's day.

After visiting one of their last destinations for the day Hugo asked, "Weren't we supposed to visit the Muggles?"

Severus looked down at his son and replied, "We'll go tomorrow."

Hugo smiled up at his Father, "Thanks Dad."

Severus nodded and put his arm around his son as they walked to the wizarding inn.

While Hugo would never tell his Father, sneaking Uncle Harry's invisibility cloak was one of the best schemes he'd ever had. Er, well best schemes he'd followed through with. It was actually Perdita's idea to take the cloak and who had taken it from her Dad's closet.

* * *

Emma Prewitt had been born, raised, and planned on dying right here in the rural town of Clarks, Louisiana. Her husband of nearly 30 years, Mr. Frank Prewitt, had come to Clarks, Louisiana a few years after she had graduated high school and had started her apprenticeship at the bakery with old Mrs. Thatcher.

Frank had been the talk of the town once he'd shown his face in the diner. It wasn't often that Clarks got passerby's, being such a small town boasting a little over a thousand souls. Clarks was such a town that everybody new everybody's business, and there was hardly a thing you could do to prevent it from occurring. Emma had always dreamed of going off to community college somewhere once she'd saved up the money from working in the bakery. She was a spirited girl and had always felt confined and trapped in the small town and believed there was something more out there for her.

Her dreams had changed after a few years of working in the bakery though. Emma fell in love with the smell of sweet rolls baking in the oven early in the morning, and the children coming into the shop on the way home from school; they would press their faces against the window and peer at the cakes and baked goods on sale in the window. She always smiled at them and beckoned them to come in. Sometimes if the bakery was doing well that week she'd sneak a few kids a pastry or two.

After five years running the bakery shop, Mrs. Thatcher, bless her heart, had turned the business over to Emma. The old woman's husband had passed on long ago and she had never remarried, nor had any children come from their union.

It was raining the night Emma had met Mr. Frank Prewitt. She was out on a typical Friday evening sharing a beer with a few friends at the local bar and grill, when she had noticed a man sitting by himself towards the end of the bar.

He was unlike any man she had ever met. Even from a distance he didn't quite fit in. Emma could tell right away that he wasn't from anywhere near Clarks. He wore a strange billowy cloak and had flaming red hair. He had been in town for about a week at that point and had avoided most of the folk that had come up to talk to him.

Emma was a curious woman by nature, and was eager to talk to the stranger. She knew she wasn't the prettiest girl in town, but she was one of the few her age still single. Many of her childhood friends had been getting hitched or were changing nappies by now. Emma had never been one to settle and feel pressured to start a family no matter how many sideways and snarky comments her Gran kept giving her. Old maid indeed she snorted. Ever since she had met her Frank her life had been anything but dull and ordinary. Her life had been filled with a loving family and the most wonderful man in the world. Not that she had been discontent with her life before Frank, in fact she had been quite happy despite the implications of others.

Perhaps, this was one of the reasons he had been attracted to her. Emma could adapt and be content under nearly any circumstance. It was obvious when she saw him alone at the bar that he was lonely, and quite unhappy.

Emma had taken her beer and walked over to him after ignoring the warnings of her friends.

She planted herself down next to him and ordered two shots of whiskey for the both of them. He'd looked at her out of the corner of his eye and reluctantly accepted the drink. She raised her glass to his and they drank.

They hadn't actually said anything of consequence that first night. Emma went back the following night and saw him again.

This time he'd bought the drinks.

"Frank," he said after the first beer was almost finished.

She smiled at him brightly and held out her hand.

"If you've decided to speak, it's only right that we have a suitable introduction. I am a proper southern lady after all."

His eyes furrowed together and focused on her outstretched hand. "Alright then," he said as he grasped her hand.

Emma's eyes lit up at his now obvious accent, "Emma Crockett, pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Frank Prewitt, pleasure."

And so had begun many nights in the bar and grill talking over food and what Frank referred to as pints. Frank had eventually needed a job, as he obviously wasn't going anywhere any time soon. Emma had gotten her cousin to give him a job in construction and he had eventually taken up residence in a charming home in the area. Frank eventually purchased the home and surrounding land and wasted no time in restoring the ancient home.

Emma had helped him with the restoration and had enjoyed bringing fresh sandwiches and lemonade during the miserable summer months.

It didn't take long for Emma to fall madly in love with the foreign man from England.

They eventually married and moved into his finished reconstructed home. It was about then that he confided in her about magic. Emma knew of his family and some of his life back in England, but he had always been secretive to an extent. There were some things he would not divulge and it worried Emma, but he was so much happier now than had been when she first met him so it didn't worry her.

When Frank told her of the wizarding world and how his parents had died by the hand of Dark Wizards she had been in awe and fear of the wizarding world and of magic. Frank showed her the wonder and joys that magic could bring. Although, it was limited to an extent as Frank was a squid, or squib. Something similar to that. Frank came from a long line of powerful Purebred wizards, but still every so often someone was born to a wizarding family that didn't have the gift of magic. He could still use magical items, but the use of a wand would forever be out of his reach.

Over the years Frank had never wanted to return to England. She had suggested a trip once or twice and he always suggested they go somewhere else. The wizarding world was a dangerous place, he said. The death of his parents and his uncle could attest to that. Nearly twenty five years ago the wizarding world had been in danger from the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, or as he referred to him, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

Even after the war had resolved, he had been reluctant to return to it. Frank had been away from the wizarding world for so long that he feared that there was nothing left for him there. Emma wondered if he ever thought there was anything in that world for him at all. The last time he had been in England he was nineteen.

They did receive the occasional post via owl during the holidays from his Aunt Molly. Emma enjoyed receiving letters from her. She seemed like a delightful woman in all of her letters. Emma occasionally corresponded with her through these owl posts a few times a year. It was simply mind boggling to think that owls carried postage, or could form that distance. Molly had mentioned that many wizards had a form of internet and used w-mail, which was their version of e-mail.

Frank told her that technology didn't work very well in places with high magical signals, so of course their technology worked via magic.

Despite, or possibly because her husband was a squib, Emma Prewitt could most definitely tell the difference between odd occurrence, acts of God, and magic.

And Mrs. Prewitt had no doubt that the young girl the Calvin family fostered was magical.

Emma felt most sorry for the girl, knowing she had lost her biological parents at a young age. Not to mention that her foster parents were an unseemly pair. Emma highly disapproved of the middle aged couple and thought them unfit to care for children, let alone three.

It was widely known that the couple had never been able to conceive, but still Emma suspected them of neglect, and possibly abuse. They seemed altogether quite unstable in her opinion, and Frank knew her opinion all too well, and so did a few of the other women in her immediate group of friends.

But it had been most difficult to catch them actually doing anything immoral. The children were schooled at home, kept each other company, and attended church regularly on Sundays, and that was it. Other than that she hardly heard a sound ever come from the house next to her.

Mrs. Calvin was a devote Christian. Emma snorted. They were anything but good Christians in her mind. They were highly conservative, which was fine to an extent, but in this day and age things were changing, and literally interpreting the Bible didn't always work. She had no doubt that if she told them about her husband's family they'd scream and shout and burn them both at the stake.

While the children were certainly never seen or heard except for church related activities, they were always present and accounted for and wearing the very best on Sundays. It was then that Emma observed them closely, to the ever annoyance of her husband.

The two girls sang in the church choir. They had the loveliest voices, especially the eldest girl, Harper Rae. They were peculiar children as they were eerily silent and compliant for young kids, Harper Rae was just plain abnormal.

Harper Rae always hung the laundry out to dry in the backyard where Emma could clearly see her from her back porch or even from her kitchen window. The girl wasn't particularly tall, and she always stood on a stool to pin the clothes on the line. While she usually got up and down the stool to retrieve more laundry, one time Emma had sworn she saw a sheet come up from the basket and place itself on the line in perfect position for the girl to pin it.

Emma's eyes had gone wide and she'd startled. Harper Rae had clearly heard her and looked around fear stricken and rushed back inside the old house, the laundry basket taken along with her.

But that was one of many occurrences of her magical ability. Frank had even accounted a few events for himself. Their cat had gotten ahold of a bird nest once and had eaten the hatchlings, except for one which was gravely injured and would understandably die. Frank had consoled the young Harper Rae, but the next day he saw the baby bird alive and well in her hands.

Frank said she had strong magical abilities and would no doubt get accepted into a magical school.

Emma's heart filled with hope thinking that the young girl would somehow make it out of her foster home. Frank said Emma's instincts were uncanny and perhaps she might have a magical relative in her bloodline somewhere; she'd usually just roll her eyes at him.

"_You just gotta watch people. You wacth 'em enough, and you know. I can sense when something just ain't right. And them folk," she said referring to the Calvin's, "you can smell crazy on 'em."_

However, as Harper Rae's eleventh birthday approached, a significant age for all young witches and wizards, it was with a heavy heart that Emma and Frank realized that her magical ability would never get the chance to develop.

The Prewitt's saw many letters delivered to their home via owl. Acceptance letters, Frank had said. Emma had seen the lot of them get thrown into the trash and disappear forever.

They saw hope again when the magical folk representing their respective schools came to call on Harper Rae. And after each of the visitors was turned away (and at times angrily sent form their home, or not depending on if a memory charm was used), Frank would put his arms around his wife and lead her way from the window where they would watch with saddened hearts.

Emma spoke to one of the school representatives once while he was leaving the Calvin's home.

"_Can't you do anything for the girl?"_

_The man was dressed real smart Emma thought. He wore a suit and tie and looked as much of a southern gentleman as she'd ever seen. She'd thought his appearance might sway the family as some of the others had dressed in their wizards clothing. _

"_M'am?" he questioned turning to her. _

_She waved a hand at him and beckoned him closer, "My husbands a squid, originally from England."_

_He barely concealed a smile, "Forgive me M'am, but I believe you mean a squib."_

"_Yes, Yes. Same thing."_

_It was a rather crude term these days, and not at all politically correct, but still used, especially overseas. The representative hardly felt like telling the Muggle woman that. _

"_May I presume I am speaking with Mrs. Emma Prewitt?"_

_She blinked at him quite startled that the man knew her name. "Why, yes. How did you know? Is it some sort of magical thing?"_

_He shook his head, "Not at all. Professor Christopher Michaels of the New Orleans School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Mrs. Prewitt accepted his extended hand quite impressed with the man. _

"_We tend to keep track of our magical population." She nodded at him releasing his hand. _

"_But Harper Rae, can't you take her to your school? My husband and I have long since known 'bout that child. Always been different. She belongs with your lot. Lord knows she'd be better off out of that particular home."_

_She watched his pleasant smile turn into a frown and he shook his head. "As much as I'd like to M'am, I can't. There are protocols to follow, and the interference between the Muggle and magical world is kept to a minimum. Furthermore, as the Calvin's are the girl's current legal guardians, we cannot force them into allowing their foster child to entertain a magical education. Unfortunately, there isn't much anyone can do."_

_The representative from the New Orleans School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, truly felt terrible for leaving the young witch to her foster parents, and for delivering this information to the Muggle woman. _

_His eyes narrowed and he thought hard for a moment. "Perhaps, I can contact another school with more influence in these matters. Louisiana's magical community is quite small and our government isn't highly influential in these matters."_

"_I thought you'd all been here forever or something."_

"_Officially since 1850."_

"_Well, that's not very long at all!"_

_He chuckled at her and agreed. _

"_But you might be able to talk to someone else?"_

"_Ms. Carey's case is unique. She is also of European parentage, as she was born in your husband's homeland. I might be able to call one of the Headmaster's over there, as she might be on their roster as well."_

"_That would be most kind of you."_

"_Think nothing of it M'am."_

_Professor Michaels had politely accepted her offer to tea and Mr. Prewitt was able to join them soon after his shift at the construction site ended. _

Emma sighed and remembered how hopeful she felt after meeting Professor Michaels. He was such a pleasant man. She had even baked her famous double fudge cake and had brought it over to Harper Rae the next day as a belated birthday gift. Of course she made sure to dart over to the Calvin's home after making sure they had left for an outing. Emma was pretty sure that Harper Rae had no idea what to do with the cake at first, but she had inconspicuously watched through her kitchen window as the girl had cut the cake and fed it to her eager foster siblings. She made a note to sneak them treats more often.

But her chat with Professor Michaels had been well over a month by now and many of the local children had started back up in school already.

And so Emma Prewitt and her husband solemnly accepted the fact that Harper Rae Carey would never be a true witch.

* * *

Emma gazed out of her window after lunch, silently drying and replacing the clean dishes her husband handed to her. She was hoping for a dishwasher this year. They had been saving up enough money to buy a real nice one.

It was a bright and sunny day and the summer months were filled with them.

Mrs. Prewitt turned to return the plate in the cupboard when she turned and suddenly there was a man when just a moment ago there had not been a soul.

She drew in a startled breathe and dropped her plate.

"Emma, sweetheart, you alright?" Frank asked looking at his wife with concern.

She pointed out the window after regaining her composure. "That man was not there a moment ago, I swear it!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, of course I am!" She turned her heated stare at him and he lifted his hands in acceptance.

Her eyes grew wide when she noticed a young boy at his side, and while they were both dressed in normal clothing, their mannerisms were different, especially the boy. The boy was currently peering around him in fascinations. Her suspicion only grew when they walked up to the front door of the Calvin's home.

Emma shook Frank's shoulders madly and nearly knocked the glasses off of his prominent nose. "For God's sake, what is it woman?"

She glared at him. "Dear," he corrected.

"That man is a wizard. And I bet he's from another school, maybe from that one in Scotland Professor Michaels mentioned, Pigspot something or other."

He rolled his eyes, "Hogwarts, dear, _Hogwarts_."

"Yes, yes of course, that's exactly what I meant." Emma was completely preoccupied by the gentleman and young boy.

Frank sighed to himself and dried his soapy hands. He turned his gaze and looked out the window along with his wife. He scrunched his eyes and took a long look at the man.

He looked so familiar.

Frank could have sworn he'd seen that face somewhere before. It was only when the stranger looked him straight in the eye that it came to him. He'd seen that face splashed over the _Daily Prophet_ on and off for over twenty years.

"Bloody hell, that's Severus Snape!"

* * *

"Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have." Unknown

"The most wonderful of all things in life, I believe, is the discovery of another human being with whom one's relationship has a glowing depth, beauty, and joy as the years increase. This inner progressiveness of love between two human beings is a most marvelous thing, it cannot be found by looking for it or by passionately wishing for it. It is a sort of Divine accident." - Sir Hugh Walpoe

Trivia: Most of my characters names are from someone I know in the real world.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Again, this is a work of fiction. The opinions in this work of fiction are not mine, merely the characters. Suggestive and disturbing themes ahead. You have been warned.

Thank you to all who have reviewed, favorited and follow this story. I greatly appreciate you all! Looking for a Beta, and please review! Reviews are love!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does.

* * *

Frank Prewitt quickly broke eye contact with the powerful wizard walking up to his neighbor's front door.

Emma Prewitt's bemused face came into his field of vision, "Several Snake?" She wondered briefly if he was getting sick as his face was flushed bright red and his breathing had picked up.

He shook his head adamantly, "_Severus Snape!_"

Mrs. Prewitt put her hand to her chin in great concentration. "That name sounds very familiar."

"He was the double agent that killed Albus Dumbledore!"

She snapped her fingers and her eyes lit with recollection. "Oh yes!"

Frank shook his head at her. He knew Emma discerned who he was and what that meant. While his aunt had confirmed the allegations that indeed the man had been tried in front of the Wizengamot and declared innocent for _most _of his crimes, including that of the murder of Albus Dumbledore, he was still wary.

The man had spent time in Azkaban prison for Merlin's sake. Well, until Harry Potter had pleaded for and ordered his release. Still, the man had killed people. That was not to be taken lightly.

He swallowed thickly. There was a cold blooded killer at the front steps of his neighbor's door.

Frank Prewitt felt like he should alert someone, or something. Shouldn't he?

"Oh, this is too exciting! We've got a famous spy in Clarks, Louisiana! Oh I wish I could tell the girls, we practically have a visiting celebrity!"

Frank slowly turned to his wife, "Are you quite sane, woman?"

Emma slapped her husband's arm and rolled her eyes at him. "I've seen gators scarier than him!"

"That's what you think," he mumbled under his breathe.

"Oh my goodness, they're actually letting him come in. Oh, I do hope it goes alright."

Frank hoped so as well.

* * *

The day had gone well enough in Severus' opinion. While parading around a Muggle city, especially as claustrophobic as New Orleans, was not his idea of a pleasant day. However, seeing the smile and obvious pleasure on his sons face had made it all worth it.

Severus would much rather continue spending the day with his son than collect a young witch in a rural American town. He detested the Muggle pant suit he wore and tie wrapped around his neck. He loosened the tie as much as possible, and despite the many years that had passed, Nagini's bite still held a small amount of discomfort.

The scar was gruesome, but he preferred not to use glamour's unnecessarily, he was not so vain. Furthermore, it made people uncomfortable and uneasy in his presence, if they weren't already, and it gave him a sick sense of pleasure watching them squirm under his stare. He dared others to pass judgment over him, they knew nothing of his past or what he had faced. Nothing meaningful anyway. The truth had long since been buried and fabricated in a way such that only those directly involved knew what really occurred. The number of those individuals was far too great in his opinion. But, he reluctantly admitted, they had been proven trustworthy. For the most part they were all considered family in some way, according to Hermione and his children that is.

And family always protected one another. Admittedly, it was a new concept to him, family. His Father had been the most miserable of Muggles and his Mother a weak willed witch unable to even attempt to shield her son from the cruelties of the world. He had been alone in the world for so long, with only Lily to fill the void. But even that had only been temporary, the friendship fleeting, and the love he felt for her was more of an obsession and a desperate plea for help. Lily had been a symbol to him, one that he had clung to for over twenty years.

Yes, family meant nothing to him then, and now it was everything. It was something that he clung to when the memories of war became too great for him to bear. And he thought of his children, and of Hermione, the woman he loved more than anything in the world.

And Severus thought of his make shift family that he had gained without trying and without really wanting it. It was here, and it was staying, no matter how much he wished it otherwise at times.

But, if there was something that the infamous Golden Trio had taught him, Hermione had taught him, it was that while blood may be thicker than water and you could not help the bloodline you were born into, you could choose to be a part of something greater than yourself. You can find happiness if you search hard and long enough, and you can find those worthy to call friends, those that would fight alongside you and face the depths of hell itself. And in the end, those that stand with you, through the trials and tribulations, those individuals were your real family.

Not that Severus would ever admit that to a single soul, save for his wife, and perhaps his children if necessarily, maybe his Godson if it came to it…he frowned. At what point had he become so bloody soft?

Former Death Eater indeed.

Wretched collection of Potter and Weasley's most likely. And Longbottoms, and Scamanders. Bloody assortment of nuts, the lot of them.

At least his brood wasn't a cluster of wild monkeys, most of the time.

As if he was not surrounded by children every day of his life, now he was fetching yet another one to add to the Hogwarts collection of dunderheads.

Severus should probably have used more discretion upon apparating himself and Hugo to residence of the young Ms. Carey, but he found himself more disgusted and bored with the whole affair than anything. He wasn't completely obvious, hell, he was practically stealthy by Weasley standards.

Severus urged Hugo along besides him as they approached the old home. It was in obvious disrepair, the paint had long since faded and much of it was chipped. However, he noted with disdain, many of the homes were in a similar condition. Being in this rural town brought back many unpleasant memories from his childhood. His home had been in a comparable run down condition. Severus' frown deepened and concern that had not been present before began to form.

He had been given both warnings and instructions on how to proceed in the face of Ms. Carey's guardians. None of which had overly concerned him at the time, but looking at the collected information he suspected that meeting with these Muggles was not going to be pleasant in the least.

Not that he suspected this voyage to be tranquil from the beginning. He was after all, the last resort in retrieving a wayward witch child.

Severus glanced at the neighboring house and spotted a Muggle man and woman speaking animatedly with each other. He briefly caught the Muggle man's eyes and noted the flaming red hair and freckles. Damn it all. The recognition in the mans' eyes was unmistakable, and he also greatly resembled his father. It was another bloody Weasley. Severus had travelled across continents and had found another one. Did the whole brood of them not understand the principle of a simple contraceptive charm or potion?

Breaking eye contact, Severus knocked on the front door.

Hugo looked up at him briefly and he nodded down to him. The boy straightened his tie briefly and gave it a tug for good measure. Hugo was dressed in a Muggle version of his Hogwarts uniform and was proudly sporting his newly acquired Gryffindor attire. It was technically still his regular uniform, and his Dad had taken the liberty of changing the style a bit. The red and yellow coloring due to his new status as a member of Gryffindor house set a permanent scowl on his Father's face. Hugo felt mildly chastised and new it was a constant source of ire for his Dad to be surrounded by Gryffindors constantly. It didn't help him any that his Uncle's had continually congratulated him on being sorted into Gryffindor.

Like he needed the reminder.

Hugo knew his Father was proud of him regardless of what house he was sorted in, but it was still a little awkward knowing much of his Dad's history with those who had been in Gryffindor. At least his Mum was a Gryffindor, and Dad loved her.

Hugo and Severus heard the sound of footsteps finally approaching the front door. Hugo looked around him suddenly feeling the hair on the back of his neck rise. He had the strangest feeling that he was being watched. Glancing up he saw the briefest movement of curtains in a window occupied on the second story.

It was an odd feeling, as if someone had been spying on him. Before he could dwell on it, the door opened and a plump woman with a homely face stood in the entry way scrutinizing them with her eyes.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Good evening M'am. May I introduce myself as Professor Severus Snape of Hogwarts School for Gifted Children. I would like to speak with you about the possibility of a free education for your eldest girl, Ms. Carey. Might I have a moment of your time this evening?"

The words tasted like acid coming from Severus' mouth, but he said them nonetheless.

The woman looked at them suspiciously for a moment and appraised Hugo starting from his head and down to his feet and back up again. Hugo felt his skin crawl at her critical stare and was glad he straightened his tie earlier.

"This is my son, Hugo, a second year student at Hogwarts."

"I can't afford a fancy education. We barely get paid for taking the kids in."

"We are offering scholarships at this time, and have certain ones available for minors such as Ms. Carey."

"You ain't selling me nothing?"

"No M'am."

"You a Christian school?"

"Yes M'am."

"You've got five minutes, come on in." The door opened a crack and already Hugo knew he didn't want to enter the house where this unpleasant woman lived. His Father graciously thanked the woman and urged him to follow by lightly putting a hand at his back.

As they followed the woman into a small sitting room, Hugo kept thinking about the moving curtains in the window upstairs.

* * *

Mrs. Margaret Elizabeth Calvin was a portly woman with a large amount of makeup adorning the severe lines of her face. She had on a nicely pressed dress complete with heels and sparkling clips in her hair. The woman was approaching her fiftieth year, but liked to say she was pressing forty.

She retreated with her unwanted guests into the living room where a frayed flower print couch sat. She watched the young boy take a seat followed by the well-dressed man with the largest nose and most unpleasant face she had ever seen.

Mrs. Calvin barely concealed her grimace as the young boy fidgeted looking around her home. While she worked on the weekends at the local library her husband was a landscaper and frequently busy. She also organized church activities and helped with the choir that her foster children were a part of.

She considered it her civil duty to keep those poor and ignorant kids out of trouble, no matter how beyond hope or sinful they were. Most of them had come from families where the parents lost their children due to drugs or being in and out of jail constantly.

Mr. Calvin had always been overly fond of children and they were both quite distraught when after years of trying, the Lord still did not bless them with their own. Instead, as she aged, Mrs. Calvin thought it would be a grand idea to register as a foster parent. Perhaps that way her husband would be home more frequently. Mrs. Calvin enjoyed a well-structured household filled with discipline and continual repentance.

In the beginning years of her marriage it had been difficult getting her husband to attend Sunday church with her, but she was always so proud of the fact that he instead helped out other families and watched over some of the young kids from time to time.

So proud she was of him, that she decided to open her own daycare years ago. It was very successful at first and promised a nice income. But, soon after she began to grow tired of caring for them on the weekends and decided to take up other work and left the children more and more with her husband.

And he was quite good with them. They never spoke back to him and behaved much better for him than her. Eventually a few of the children stopped showing up once the parents realized how good her husband, Jake, was with them. They thought he was too good with them. That it was inappropriate or something. It was silly of them really. Jake was a good and honest man, but nevertheless she eventually decided to take a job opening at the small library in town and spend more time at the church.

Things slowly returned to normal and she realized how contrite and petty many of the women in town were. Most of them claimed to be good Christian women, but they were clearly Satanists. Margaret Elizabeth Calvin was a true woman of God. It was ridiculous the way some of the people in town claimed to be Christians when they were accepting gays and immigrants and giving them opportunities and legal rights. In her opinion the gays would be judged and burned in hell along with the other sinners of the world, especially those that practiced witchcraft and voodoo.

Mrs. Calvin thought of her neighbors, the Prewitt's. There was a couple full of sin if she'd ever seen one. They were an odd couple, and while they claimed they were Republicans, she most certainly suspected them of being Democrats. Mr. Prewitt was especially odd, being from England and all. He dressed horrendously and didn't even attempt to speak proper English! They were in America for goodness sake; it wouldn't kill him to fit in would it?

No, Mrs. Calvin did not tolerate or agree with the way the world was shaping out to be. She was quite proud that her family could date back to before the Civil War and still strictly adhered to Southern traditions.

After ten years into her marriage she noticed her husband spending more and more time away from home And while she could not provide him children, the idea to bring foster children into their home struck her. It was something that any good woman would do and it would give her husband incentive to stay home more.

At first he was more than difficult and had argued with her about fostering kids from broken homes. But once he had seen how much good it would do and the amount they would receive from the government he started to see it differently. And in the beginning nothing changed except that she was doing more work and dealing with disgusting and ungrateful children.

That is until they took in nine year old Harper Rae.

From the start, the girl had been just like any other child they had taken in, temperamental and ungrateful. And then Jake had started to help out more with the children. Margaret had been so thankful that she didn't notice it at first, but he spent most of his time with Harper Rae and eventually the second little girl they had taken in, seven year old Mary Jane.

Around that time the girls had started acting differently and began to behave. She thought the sudden behavior change was peculiar but accredited it to strict discipline. Eventually, both girls barely spoke and the youngest foster child, four year-old Walter, followed in the footsteps of the girls. It was finally quiet in the household, and Margaret was able to take them to church regularly. Everything was going quite smoothly, and Margaret praised her efforts and her devoted husband.

While the peace continued, Margaret began to notice other things as well. Jake always sat next to Harper Rae during supper. Or how she usually sat perched tensely on Jake's lap while he watched college football and ran his fingers through her unruly brown hair. In fact, if she thought about it, he was always touching her. A hand on her shoulder, or on her knee.

The heated looks that Jake sent Harper Rae sent her blood boiling in anger. One evening she saw Mary Jane perched in her husband's lap gripping her stuffed rabbit for all she was worth. Following the game her husband left for the bar, and Margaret grabbed Mary Jane and dragged her to her room kicking a screaming along the way. The children followed along and Harper Rae pulled at her arms trying to free Mary Jane, but Margaret smacked her into the wall and produced a belt from the closet and took it to both Mary Jane and Harper Rae when she got up from the floor.

She spat and cursed at the two of them, calling them evil temptresses.

When Margaret finished she left them and threw the belt in the trash bin outside and wept in her room.

None of them ever dare disobey her again.

The girls avoided her and Jake as much as possible. But Jake would pat his lap every night and call one of the girls over. It was never Mary Jane again, but instead Harper Rae.

Eventually Jake's attentions focused strictly on Harper Rae, the reluctant but willing participant. And when Jake left the house, Margaret would direct her fury at mousy haired girl. She found different and new ways to direct her rage until it became an obsession, and only when the compulsive behavior was acted on, would the obsession be relieved temporarily.

It wasn't until a few weeks later that she found Harper Rae in the kitchen holding a bloodied knife and her husband with a long shallow cut down his arm, that she first doubted whether or not that the fault lay truly with Harper Rae.

_She stood frozen in the kitchen doorway unable to move. The blood dripped slowly on the floor, and she idly wondered how well it would clean. _

"_Nothing to worry 'bout Marge. We were gonna make some sandwiches and we just had an accident. Right Harper Rae?"_

_Margaret watched Harper Rae look from Jake to the blood pooling on the floor. Her eyes drifted to the knife and she dropped it down to her side and nodded slowly._

Things went back to how they were before, but Margaret may have been more lenient with the girl from then on.

When the schools had started showing up asking for Harper Rae, Margaret thought she would finally get rid of the girl. All of her other attempts to transfer the girl to another home had been angrily refused by her husband. She would never be rid of her. Then one day Margaret saw the new dresses Jake bought and placed in Harper Rae's closet and her ire at the girl returned full force.

For each school that came to their door step, her husband had always been present. But not this time; this time she would get rid of her before Jake came home from his nightly drinking.

She straightened in her chair and proceeded to chat with the sallow skinned man.

Hugo was feeling more than a little uncomfortable sitting on Mrs. Calvin's lumpy couch. It smelt oddly like old socks mixed with musty perfume. He was trying very hard not to sneeze and fidget too much while his Father fabricated academic and personal life at Hogwarts School for Gifted Children.

It was amusing to see his Father act civil to a woman he had obvious disdain for. Although Mrs. Calvin had no idea, but Hugo knew his Father quite well. The adults spoke of the academy and his Father attempted to speak of the curriculum. However, Mrs. Calvin didn't particularly seem interested in the curriculum or the welfare of Ms. Carey for that matter. She kept asking questions pertaining to finances and the school calendar and how far away the academy was. Of course they were important questions as well, but something just seemed off to him. Hugo had keen senses much like his parents, particularly his Father.

"A year round education seems most appropriate for Harper Rae. Will she able to stay for the holidays? We just might be gone at times and not able to transport her is all. And we have the other children to consider as well."

"The school offers housing to children during the holidays with supervision of course. A few trusted members of the staff stay on the ground during the break. Though, children are required to spend the summer with their parents or guardians."

Her brightly colored lips lost their smile for a moment but quickly recovered. "Well, yes of course. We most certainly want her home. I will need to talk with her case worker and such."

"It has already been taken care of Mrs. Calvin. Mr.'s May and Lowe of the Louisiana State Board as well as Ms. Carey's case worker Mrs. Holland have all been contacted. They have graciously allowed me to personally deliver the news."

Mrs. Calvin was doing an excellent job of pretending to care about Ms. Carey, Hugo thought.

He heard a rustle come from his right and caught a slight movement in his peripheral vision. He turned his head to regard the figures that had approached the adjoining entrance to the sitting room. It was a girl, two of them actually. The youngest was hiding behind the older one whilst holding her hand and clutching a worn rabbit with the other. She was dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top with bare feet. She peered at him with curiosity in her brown eyes and her pigtails followed the movement of her head.

When he turned his focus to favor the older girl standing in front he was startled by the depth of her gaze. Hugo had never spent much time contemplating girls, except to know they could be awfully silly and short-tempered. For a short while he had a small crush on a fellow Ravenclaw last year and they had worked on their Transfiguration homework together on the weekends. Rose had teased him mercilessly for months.

But never before had he been so fascinated with someone. Her eyes were a bluish green that made him aware of the pounding of his heart. They stared at him unrelenting, almost daring him to break contact first. Hugo could not begin to decipher the emotions behind them. He felt his Father's focus shift to the girl as well.

"Here she is," said Mrs. Calvin and Hugo startled at the sound of her voice and broke his gaze. "Come over and meet one of your teachers. Hurry now, don't be shy."

The girl blinked and turned to face the older woman. Once she was at arm's length Mrs. Calvin took her shoulders and turned her to face them.

"This here is Harper Rae. This is Professor Severus Snape from Hogwarts School for Gifted Children. You've got yourself accepted to a big time school all the way in Scotland. Aren't you excited?"

Harper Rae looked at the Professor and back to Mrs. Calvin who raised an eyebrow at her. "Will Mary Jane go to?" she asked.

Her voice was quiet but strong and held the same accent he'd gotten used to hearing all day. Hugo took notice of her sock clad feet and gloved hands along with her brown frizzy hair that reminded him of his Mum when she first woke up in the morning.

"No, baby. She ain't old enough yet and you got yourself a special place there."

"I ain't going then."

Hugo's eyes widened as he saw Mrs. Calvin's face redden in anger and embarrassment.

"You will be able to send postage to your family if you wish Ms. Carey. I guarantee that you will be able to maintain vigilant communication throughout the school year." Hugo sighed in relief when he heard his Father's calm and calculating voice enter the conversation.

"You see! It'll be like you aren't even gone. And maybe later Mary Jane will go there too, eh?" She gazed purposely at Professor Snape.

Severus nodded, "It is certainly feasible."

Harper Rae's stare hardened, "You're lying."

"Harper Rae Carey! You apologize right now or I'll wash your mouth out."

"I'm sorry, sir," she whispered quietly.

"Not at all," Severus said. Hugo could tell he was immensely amused by the whole situation. "I understand it must be difficult to leave those you consider family."

Mrs. Calvin smiled at Professor Snape. "Excuse us for a moment." She grabbed both girls by the wrist and took them into the kitchen.

Their attempt at privacy was negligible as Hugo sensed magic as his Father cast a charm that would no doubt allow him to hear the conversation in the kitchen. With each passing moment Severus grew tense and his face transformed itself into great anger. Hugo had rarely ever seen his Father this visibly upset.

Severus rose abruptly from the couch with every intention of storming into the kitchen when the front door was opened.

"Who're you, and wha' the fuck you doin' in my house?"

* * *

"Rarely do members of the same family grow up under the same roof."

Richard Bach


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Thank you to all who read and review.

Answer to Trivia on Perdita's name: Perdita is one of the heroines of William Shakespeare's play The Winter's Tale. She is the daughter of Leontes, King of Sicilia, and his wife Hermione. Harry and Ginny wanted to name their fourth after Hermione, but Hermione convinced them to choose a name from the same play that was easier to pronounce.

Same warnings apply mature content ahead.

Beta still needed.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does.

* * *

Jake Calvin was pissed; he was pissed drunk and angry as hell. It was only early afternoon when he'd been kicked out of the bowling alley after he'd punched one of the kids working there. Damn punk had given him lip about getting a second pitcher of beer. Stupid boy said he'd had too much already.

Instead he'd gone to the bar and gotten a few drinks before he decided to call it an early night. Maybe if he got home he could pry his wife's legs apart for once. Damn woman rarely ever got his bones off any more. She'd never been good in bed, but she certainly had been pretty enough in her young days, and her Father had quite a bit of money for folks in these parts.

At the time, Jake thought he might get something out of marrying the girl. Now many years later he just felt bored and tired with married life. The only thing he enjoyed these days was getting drunk and fucking girls that lived on the outskirts of town.

They were all ripe young girls. His cock twitched just thinking about his last encounter with sixteen year-old Emma. It only took a bit of sweet talk, empty promises, and booze to get her under him with her legs spread wide screaming for him. Emma was an eager girl, and was always keen to please him, a little too willing. He liked his girls to have spirit, and struggle a bit; it made his blood boil and run like fire through his veins. And while Emma was a good age, he would have liked her a year or two younger. It wasn't easy finding younger girls though. Especially not in this damn town where everyone knew him and kept their kids close.

It didn't matter much anyway; Jake had what he really wanted close at hand. He thought of her sweet young face and her pretty eyes. He would run his hands repeatedly through her tangled hair in the evenings while she sat on his lap. Jake loved bury his hands in her hair and force her face down to his crotch.

His worn jeans felt tight and he adjusted himself none too subtly. Draining his beer, he left the bar under the pretense of going to the head and snuck out the back without paying his tab.

Jake walked home with a grin on his bearded face thinking of Harper Rae and her blue-green eyes.

* * *

Severus sneered at the foul smelling and unkempt Muggle man in the doorway. Apparently, Mr. Calvin was now home. The evening was turning out to be even more unpleasant.

"Margaret! Get out here now!" Jake swayed and knocked over a lamp in his drunken stupor. He directed an angry finger at Severus. "I don't know who the fuck you are, but ya ain't stayin'."

Margaret gasped as she came running into the sitting room with the girls following.

"Who the fuck is this? You fuckin' him? Always knew you were a whore." Margaret sputtered and turned from humiliated to angry in the blink of an eye.

"How dare you!" she yelled and stepped forward to shove him roughly.

Severus rolled his eyes at the juvenile behavior of the Muggle couple and his stomach nauseated by the insulation. He knew from first-hand experience that it would only take a moment for this episode to escalate into a violent domestic dispute.

It was something he never wished his son to see. Perfectly safe for his son indeed; Potter and Minerva were going to pay dearly when he got back. Perhaps he might convince a few of the Weasley brood to bestow a gift or two upon her.

"Enough of this," he mumbled. "Hugo!" Hugo startled and snapped his eyes to his Father when he heard his name.

"Escort Ms. Carey to her room and help gather her things. We're leaving, immediately." Severus glanced at the smaller girl clinging to Ms. Carey and the boy who had revealed himself at the commotion. He hesitated only a moment, "And the other two as well." Hugo stood staring at his Father, "Now," Severus drawled.

Hugo startled and managed to spit out a clumsy, "Alright."

Severus watched the other children standing still. "Unless you would like to stay I suggest you pack your things," he directed at them. He raised an eyebrow, "That was not a suggestion."

Severus idly watched Ms. Carey lead the others out of the room. Feeling comfortable now that the children had left he pulled out his wand and approached the still bickering pair.

"_Confundo!"_

* * *

Hugo felt immediate relief once he left the presence of the bickering Muggle pair. Truthfully, if his Father had not been there he would have felt a little frightened. Instead, he followed Ms. Carey and the other two kids down the hall into a bedroom with one small bed and a cot in the corner. The more he observed the room Hugo felt a small bubble of resentment for the Muggles in the other room build in his chest. He knew what being a foster child-what an orphan was. His Father had been orphaned when he was in Hogwarts, and Uncle Harry had been only a baby when Voldyshorts, as The Clan called him, had killed his parents.

While Uncle Harry grew up with his Muggle Aunt, Uncle and cousin, he knew they had treated him poorly. He didn't really talk about it, but most everyone knew it anyway. It was a part of history, a sad history that had also been seen with Lord Voldemort. The only difference was that Voldemort learned to hate and take his revenge through power and fear, and Uncle Harry had found love and support in friends that would become his family.

His Mum said it was an age old debate about the theories of nature versus nurture, and what really determined your fate. Was it your genetic disposition that made you evil or could a loving environment filled with the support and love of many depict the outcome of a person?

Either way, it had made Uncle Harry transform Number 12 Grimmauld Place into a welcoming home for orphaned children, and many children had been left orphaned after the war. There were quite a few children whose parents had been Death Eaters, and some of their parents were nothing but shells having been kissed by Dementors. The Dementors did not guard Azkaban Prison anymore and had no direct contact with the prisoners, but they did guard the outskirts of the prison. They were still reserved for the most extreme circumstances, when a prisoner was sentenced to be kissed.

Hugo felt uncomfortable standing in the bedroom looking on as Ms. Carey brought out a duffle bag and started neatly folding clothes much too small for her in the bag. He supposed they were for the younger girl and boy. More and more he saw the similarities of Uncle Harry's described upbringing. At least they had a room, he thought. Uncle Harry had slept in the cupboard under the stairs up until he was nearly thirteen!

Hugo fidgeted and glanced at the wardrobe on the other side of the room. Well, his Father had instructed him to help. He walked over to the wardrobe and opened the aging wooden doors. Looking inside he saw it was mostly empty except for a few old jumpers and winter coats. On the left he spotted a handful of ornate dresses. Hugo didn't know much about girls clothes, but he thought they were quite pretty and it would be a shame if they left them behind.

He went to reach in to get the first one off the hanger; a pretty turquoise one that he thought matched Ms. Carey's eyes splendidly, "Don't you touch that, it ain't yours to touch!"

Hugo turned abruptly nearly tripping over himself to face Ms. Carey. "I was just trying to help," he stated defensively.

"Well don't!"

Ms. Carey stormed over to the wardrobe, shoved him aside and shut the doors forcefully. Her face was stone and he couldn't read her expression, save for the red complexion that now adorned her cheeks.

"What are you staring at?" her gaze curious now.

"Nothing," Hugo stammered feeling his cheeks warm.

She moved away from him and retrieved another small bag. Hugo knew Lily always liked to wear nice dresses spend time reading _Witch Weekly_. And while Rose wasn't always holding conversations with her mirror, literally, she was still a girl.

Watching Ms. Carey pack Hugo saw her stuff a pair of dark trainers in her the duffle bag. On the sole of each shoe he saw writing, what appeared to be a small list of names.

"Why do you have writing on your trainers?"

Ms. Carey looked up from her packing and gave him an odd look. "My what? Do you mean my sneakers?"

"Well, ya."

"You talk funny." The younger girl Mary Jane giggled at him behind her stuffed rabbit.

He raised an eyebrow, "I talk funny?"

"Ya, talk funny!" repeated the boy sitting idly on the bed.

"Quiet, Walter. Don't be rude," she reproached. Walter, contrite, whispered out a small apology.

Hugo grinned at her crossing his arms in front of his chest. She narrowed her eyes at him, "You neither."

Hugo's grin widened and he chuckled.

* * *

Professor Hermione Granger-Snape was sound asleep when she felt the comforting presence of her husband's magic. She rolled over in their bed and came face to nose with Severus' patronus. The panther nudge her with his head playfully and she smiled as she reached out a hand to scratch his ears.

"Well, what have you got to say?" she asked.

"There have been complications due to unseen circumstances," Hermione heard her husbands voice say. She startled completely awake at this statement. "Hugo and I are well, but I need you to contact Potter and Minerva immediately. After you've done so call me on the mobile."

Hermione patted the panthers head before he bounded off and his corporeal form dispersed.

Throwing her dressing gown around her shoulders she headed into the living room and activated the Floo and stuck her head into fireplace.

"Harry! Harry Potter, wake up!"

"Aunt Mione is that you? What are you doing in there?"

Hermione saw Harry's youngest, Perdita, come in view of the fireplace. She knelt down and sat in front the hearth bundled in a blanket. "What are you doing up at this hour? You should be in bed." Hermione chastised but shook her head. "Forget it, go knock on your parent's door and wake up your Dad. Tell him it's important, and to meet me at Minerva's office right away. "

"Oh, I bet something exciting is going on!" Hermione stared in bemusement as the girl got to her feet and ran out of the room. No doubt she'd _gently_ wake her Father by jumping on top of him like she was wont to do. Harry would love to have another broken rib tended to.

Shaking her head Hermione took her face out from the fireplace.

"Mum, what's going on?" asked Rose rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "It's four in the morning."

"I think your Dad has run into a bit of problem in the States."

Rose's eyes blinked fully awake. "Are Dad and Hugo okay?" she asked with concern.

"Yes, I think it has more to do with the young girl."

"You mean the Muggleborn witch they went to collect?"

"Crude darling, but correct; she's not a package." Hermione rose from the ground and went to get dressed.

"Sorry, Mum." Rose rolled her eyes. "Anyway are they coming back now?" Rose asked following her Mother to her bedroom

"Can you hand me my jumper Rose?"

Rose grabbed the jumper on the chair by the bed and handed it to her Mother. She watched her Mother pull it over her head and grip her wand after.

"Can I help?"

Hermione turned to look at her daughter, "It's better if you stay here for now. It may be nothing at all."

"It's never nothing with Dad, Mum. If things are bad, poor Hugo's probably wet his trousers by now. He'll need me to look after him."

Hermione gave her a disapproving look. "Don't start with me this early in the morning, Rose. Your Father and Hugo are just fine. And don't talk about your brother that way. He's stronger than you think."

Hermione watched her teenage daughter sigh and her shoulders slump. "I know he is," she said at last. "He wouldn't have been sorted into Gryffindor if he wasn't. I just, I just worry about him. He's a little different, and he doesn't have any friends outside of the family, really."

Her eyes softened, "I know, luv." Hermione brought her daughter close and kissed the top of her brown curls, an odd mix of Severus' fine texture and her curls.

"I'm the one that takes care of him," Rose whispered into her Mothers neck.

"We can't always protect him. He's got to believe that he can take care of himself." Hermione held Rose out at arm's length and looked into her eyes. "And he can."

Rose gave her a half smile and stepped out of her Mothers embrace. "Well of course Mum. He is the son of _the_ Hermione Granger and _the_ Severus Snape."

"Cheeky aren't you?"

* * *

Minerva McGonagall was awakened at approximately 4:47 in the morning on a Saturday. She groaned and rolled over in her bed trying to ignore the alarm signaling that the gargoyle had moved and someone was climbing up the stairs to the Headmasters office.

Getting out of bed she wrapped herself in a warm cloak and put on her spectacles before casting a _Lumos_ and walked to the door that adjoined the Headmaster's quarters with the office.

Once she entered the office there was no mistaking the insistent and urgent knocking coming from the visitor's entrance.

Opening the door she was quite surprised to see both Hermione Granger-Snape and Harry Potter.

"What in the name of Merlin could it be at this time in the morning?"

Harry looked to Hermione and she set her lips in a firm line. "We have a minor complication," she said.

* * *

"He _confunded_ Muggles!?" Minerva exclaimed.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other and sighed. He shrugged at her and rubbed the back of his neck. Harry felt like he was back in school again being sent to the Headmasters office for causing mischief. Only it hadn't been the typical mischief befitting a teenage boy and his friends. No, instead he and his friends had been fighting for their lives and the future of the entire wizarding world.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had spent their childhood staring into the face of death.

Harry was thankful they had lived to tell the tale. Or at least Hermione was telling their tales, more precisely. She had been collecting memoirs and cataloging the years leading to the war while also writing a biography of their years at Hogwarts.

While her and Severus were analyzing the war and writing a commemorative piece together, she had written the first three years of their times at Hogwarts. The books were easily best sellers and she had allowed them all to look them over before they hit the stores.

The books were, for the most part, true to their time spent as students. There were a few changes, and secrets they decided best to keep hidden from the public, but Hermione had been adamant of not hiding in the dark.

"_The Ministry has spent enough time lying to everyone, and I won't be a part of it. It's time they know the truth. Well, most of it anyway."_

"_How about the part where we spent months living in the woods?"_

_She grinned, "Absolutely."_

Harry was shaken from his musings from Minerva, "Tell me exactly what was going through his mind. When did you last speak with him?"

Hermione took a breath, "I just got in contact with him on the way here. He's at the Mint in New Orleans, the International Port. Severus had reason to believe that the Muggle foster parents were abusive and took what measures he felt necessary."

"But did he have to use a _Confundus _charm and take all _three_ of the children? I mean two of them are Muggles! How am I going to explain this to the Board of Governors, not to mention the Ministry? This is beyond bending the rules and taking in an orphan living out of country. He's practically kidnapped two children from overseas."

"Technically, they're still on American soil and well within the Louisiana State borders."

Minerva waved her hand, "You can be assured that these details will most likely be overlooked."

"But, the Muggles weren't going to let Ms. Carey leave."

Minerva looked at her exasperated, "So we solve all of our problems with magic now?"

Minerva looked from Hermione to Harry. "Don't look at me," Harry shrugged. "Probably would have done the same thing." He put his hands in his pockets and looked at Hermione.

She frowned at him obviously put out. "What?" he said when she kept looking at him. She shook her head.

"Here's what we are going to do," Minerva said she straightened in her chair. "We're going to take our plight to the Ministry and the Board of Governors and appeal to the American Wizarding Senate and hope they're in a good mood."

Harry snapped his finger, "Malfoy."

The two women looked at him questionably. "He's on the Board of Governors."

"Well we better send him an owl then, won't we Mr. Potter."

Harry chuckled at her and nodded. He always felt like a wayward student when she called him Mr. Potter.

"I pray we'll have enough sway. It's going to take more than a few celebrities and Order of Merlin's to smooth this over."

Harry grinned devilishly. "How about a couple of ridiculously wealthy war veterans?"

Minerva smiled, "That might do the trick."

* * *

"So what do I get as thanks when this is over?"

Hermione glanced at him as they descended the Headmistresses office stairs. "What makes you think you're getting anything? We don't even know if it'll work."

"It'll work. As Severus likes to remind me, when do I ever not get my way?"

"You're becoming quite the over confidant wanker, as my beloved husband is also fond of saying."

Harry coughed and cleared his throat to a higher pitch attempting to mimic Hermione. "Gee thanks Harry. You sure are a great friend getting up in the middle of the night and leaving your lovely wife alone in bed in order to help me plot the dubious escape of my outlaw husband from wizarding and Muggle law enforcements overseas."

Hermione stopped and stared back at him. "I thought it was pretty good," he said.

She laughed at him and smoothed his wayward hair. "Thank you Harry Potter for your assistance."

"It's a start," he said trying to fix his hair after she messed with it. "Blimey Hermione, when are you ever going to stop acting like my Mother?"

She laughed again and kissed his cheek and then pinched it playfully. "Never."

Harry watched her walk away and quickly followed her, a grin firmly planted on his face.

"I've been taking care of and keeping you out of trouble for years Harry James Potter, I'm not sure I could stop now even if I wanted to."

* * *

Harper Rae sat perfectly still on the bench inside of what looked like a museum in New Orleans. It was, in fact, an International Wizarding Station and housed Louisiana's Wizarding State Senate.

She idly watched a flying piece of paper fly by her head and a couple dressed in odd clothing walk by. It was difficult trying to keep Walter and Mary Jane from wondering about. They were itching to touch everything and explore.

The idea and concept of magic was too exciting, and thrilling to ignore.

It was even harder to ignore that she was a witch. And these witches and wizards were good, and not at all like how the Bible depicted them.

"_I don't want to go to school in Scotland," she told the dark eyed man once they had been on the road for a few minutes in the car he had borrowed from Mr. Prewitt._

_That was also odd-how the Prewitts seemed to know who this stranger was…_

"_It is not a regular school," he said looking at her in the rearview mirror._

"_I don't get it. You stealin' us or something? Cause if you are, you probably won't get a penny, unless you want us to work the streets or something."_

_She saw his bored look through the mirror. "As tempting as that is, no. We will be heading to Scotland, Ms. Carey, where you will attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with others such as yourself."_

"_Like me?"_

"_Young witches and wizards." At her astonished look he continued, "You are a witch Ms. Carey."_

She sat on a bench waiting with her foster siblings and Professor Snape's son, Hugo, while he was attempting to get their travel secured.

Looking away, Harper Rae avoided making eye contact with Hugo, for the umpteenth time. He was an odd boy, but interesting nonetheless. She almost felt sorry for him getting stuck with her as she wasn't one to talk, and he obviously wanted to.

All of her life, Harper Rae had felt different than other children, and it wasn't just because she was an orphan. Being laughed at and picked on her entire life was something she had taken in stride and had grown used to.

She had been to multiple foster homes since she had lost her parents, partly because she was so difficult. Looking back, she now wondered if it had been because of her magic. Harper Rae wasn't a level four for no reason. On a scale of one to five she had been deemed a four, particularly because whenever her temper ran away with her she made things happen. _Really_ bad things happen.

But after years of getting transferred from home to home and spending hours talking to adults about her feelings, being sent to bed without supper, or punished in other ways, she had learned to suppress it, and even control it. Whatever _it_ was.

Harper Rae was not a fool. She wasn't smart, but she knew how to take care of herself, and look out for the other kids she had stayed with over the years. For the longest time she didn't understand herself and why she could do things. It wasn't until a few years ago when she had been moved to Clarks and given to the Calvins that she had understood her abilities for what they really were.

It was a sign of being touched by Satan.

She was a child that had been born in a foreign country and possessed powers that caused destruction and pain. She had put her second foster mother in the hospital for over a week when she was six and had been told she could not have ice cream after supper. Her fourth foster family hadn't been so lucky.

Harper Rae had been sent to one of the most rural and desolate towns in Louisiana in hopes that she would cause less damage the further she was from people. The isolation helped her focus in some ways and learn control like she had never thought possible. Every day she awoke suppressing the desire to kill Jake Calvin for trying to lay his hands on Mary Jane. She swore one day she would. Her soul was already that of evil, what was the death of Jake Calvin added to her list of sins? It was only a matter of time until she burned in Hell, and if she could take him with her it would be worth it.

But for now, Harper Rae would sit and wait on this bench as she was told. She would take care of the children and make sure they behaved in this strange environment with its even stranger people. If she waited patiently, it would all work out, she was sure. If she could at least get Walter and Mary Jane somewhere safe it would be okay. Harper Rae knew that they would never survive on their own, she was still too young to provide for them, and too young to work the streets as well.

No, for now she would wait on this bench and contemplate her fate and what their next move would be. …And watch the odd people flutter about and the newspapers float around.

A few moments later, Professor Snape came back looking grim and extremely irritable. He looked at them with disdain and said, "Come with me."

Harper Rae urged the children to stand up and together they followed him.

* * *

AN: I totally did a Perdita when I was five and did a body slam on my Dad and cracked a few ribs.

Just finished watching DH P1 again. I love Hermione and Harry, they have such a strong family connection that I adore seeing. And then every time I see Severus I think it is alright because I am writing him a happy future. Sigh.

Question of the day: What is your favorite non-romantic pairing in the HP universe?

"How do you live with a secret, don't repeat it…even the best intention take us by surprise."

Katie Herzig "Wasting Time"


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Thanks for sticking with me folks! I appreciate your support and reviews like you wouldn't believe. I know little about laws and legal systems.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does. She sure set her family up for life. And here I am still going to school!

* * *

Harper Rae sat awkwardly in a large and uncomfortable brown chair facing an incredibly tall judge's bench. She'd been sitting for nearly a half hour patiently and had plenty of time to visually scrutinize the courtroom she found herself in. It uncannily resembled the judicial programs she'd often seen Mrs. Calvin watching. The desk that perched in front of her was simple but obviously high quality. She glanced and read plaque hanging on the wall in front of her again.

LOUISIANA WIZARDING SENATE FOUNDED 1853

Sitting on her right was Professor Snape and on her left was an old woman that was the main authoritative figure at the school, Headmistress Minerva McGonagall. To the Headmistresses right sat Mr. Malfoy, a smartly dressed man with long shiny blond hair. He had the prettiest cheekbones and icy gray eyes she had ever seen on a man. While all of them dressed funny, in what Hugo told her were robes, his were the most that resembled formal wear. At least from what she had seen in the magazines. Most of the folk in Clarks had few occasion to clean up, and if they did it was a nice pair of jeans and a clean shirt for the men or a Sunday dress for the ladies.

Taking a look around, she gave an encouraging half smile to ease the worry apparent on Walter and Mary Jane's faces. They were sitting with a pleasant witch whom they had been introduced to as Ms. Ava. Walter was sitting on her lap sucking on his thumb, a habit that Harper Rae had been trying to rid him of. She always told him that only babies sucked their thumbs, but he would stomp his foot and declare otherwise while his thumb stayed firmly in place.

Mary Jane was sticking herself like glue to Ms. Ava and trying to covertly sneak glances at the man sitting next to her. Harper Rae knew her foster sister well enough to know she wasn't afraid, merely being shy. The man had round glasses and messy black hair. Observing them, Harper Rae gave him credit; he had a very nice smile and was being extra nice to her foster siblings.

She watched him turn to Mary Jane and introduce himself like a real gentleman addressing a lady. He asked her what her favorite flower was and when she didn't respond he took out a strange looking stick. The woman next to him murmured something and he nodded. The woman turned to Hugo and the boy handed her a small purse into her awaiting hand. Harper Rae watched her open the purple beaded bag and retrieve a small trinket. Harper Rae's eyes widened comically when the woman's entire arm disappeared inside of it and came out completely normal.

Shaking her head, she watched the man turn back to Mary Jane after taking the offered trinket form the woman. He waved the stick over the object and before her eyes it turned into a beautiful white lily. Mary Jane smiled brilliantly at him revealing two missing front teeth. She took the lily and hesitantly handed her rabbit out to him. This man was very clever. Mary Jane would scream up a fit normally if she didn't have her stuffed rabbit. But here she was offering it to him like it was no big deal. He briefly held the rabbit and gave it back to her a moment later.

Walter, who had been watching them, promptly released his thumb from his mouth with a "pop" and held out his hand. The woman besides the man smiled and with a flourish pulled out her own funny looking stick and turned a pen into a soft round ball. Walter eagerly took the ball and stuck it in his mouth. Harper Rae bemusedly shook her head.

Then she heard the woman laugh and Harper Rae couldn't help but stare at her. She wasn't the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen, but there was something strong and powerful about her, and equally soft. She was a sophisticated woman with brown hair styled in a pretty braid with warm honey brown eyes. Harper Rae watched the two adults talk to each other softly and thought they might know each other, and might possibly be friends.

Harper Rae startled when Professor Snape leaned over to see what she was looking at. "That is the schools Advanced Charms Professor. The man with the ridiculous spectacles is Britain's Head Auror." At her quizzical expression he elaborated, "Wizarding law enforcement, like your police."

She nodded at him and looked over at the pair again. The newly revealed Professor turned her head and smiled at her. Harper Rae quickly faced straight ahead, feeling rude and suddenly very small.

Not a moment after, a pleasant but older looking woman came in with two other people dressed in odd clothes. The woman was wearing a dark black gown and a rather funny hat. The assembled were told to rise as she made her way up the bench. She sat herself at the large bench in the front of the room and pulled out her very own stick. After they were instructed to return to their seats Harper Rae couldn't help wondering about the odd possessions these people carried. Did all of these weird people have sticks? What exactly was their function? Were they supposed to be wands or something? Because if they were, Harper Rae had seen the Wizard of Oz and Glinda had a much more impressive wand.

With a flick of her stick a name plate flipped over on her desk and read _Judge Madison Tillman._ Judge Tillman placed the tip of her stick at her throat and started to speak, "We are gathered here to informally settle the educational and custody dispute of Ms. Harper Rae Carey ward of the State of Louisiana." Harper Rae jumped in her seat when she heard how loud Judge Tillman's voice was. She blushed to the roots of her hair when Professor Snape looked down at her with an eyebrow raised. "A rather abrupt hearing I will add, and not one I am entirely pleased about at six in the morning on a Saturday." She peered at the assembled accusingly.

"Now, as I understand it the girl is a Muggleborn witch that has just come into her magic," she continued. "Additionally, she is a ward of the state of Louisiana currently residing with Muggles Mr. and Mrs. Calvin, who are not present this morning. To further complicate matters, she is of dual citizenship having a British Father and American Mother. For various reasons, the American wizarding schools that would normally have recruited Ms. Carey have declared her unfit for a magical education. Additionally, her Muggle foster parents refused the opportunity when presented."

The Judge put down the paper she had been glancing at and folded her hands atop her desk. "For all purposes this should be the end of Ms. Carey's case. But, for whatever reason, Scotland's Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has decided to take a special interest in her case and has deemed itself superior enough to go around our governments legalities, especially regarding magical exposure to Muggles I might add. I will now hear from Ms. Carey's appointed _foreign_ representative." Harper Rae swallowed thickly at the look Judge Tillman sent Mr. Malfoy. For all purposes he seemed collected and undaunted by the jibe.

Harper Rae watched Mr. Malfoy rise from his seat. "And you are?"

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, your Honor. I'm a wizarding lawyer and on the Board of Governors for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Judge Tillman nodded her head at him, "you may proceed."

"Ms. Carey's decision on where to attend school is up to her foster family, herself and various persons within the foster system. As the other schools were turned away, Hogwarts was well within its rights to contact Ms. Carey and inform her of her acceptance."

"And her acceptance to the school is based on what exactly?"

"A magical system that has been in place since the founding of the institution in 990 A.D. A magical quill and book, created by the founders themselves, detect eligible youth who are of lineage and meet the set qualifications."

"Define qualifications."

"Ancestry, location, but above all, the presence of magical ability within the child."

The longer he spoke the more Harper Rae wanted to hear him speak. He had a drawl to his accent that was mesmerizing. He sounded incredibly smart, and she thought whatever he said Judge Tillman would have to listen to reason. The more she learned of Hogwarts the more she desperately wanted to escape there with Walter and Mary Jane.

"Thank you for clarifying, Mr. Malfoy. While her acceptance to Hogwarts is now clear, attending is another matter entirely. There are multiple legalities to consider. Consent from her foster family, along with approval from her case worker and the head of the Louisiana foster system is needed, both Muggle and Magical mind you."

"I have signed documentation from all parties present, you Honor."

"Please bring them here Mr. Malfoy."

Harper Rae watched Mr. Malfoy bring a stack on thick parchment up to Judge Tillman. She tried to think of the last time she saw her case worker and thought it might have been last year, let alone a magical one. She hadn't even been aware she had a magical case worker.

A few more comments were made until Judge Tillman stood from her bench and everyone mirrored her actions. "We'll have a recess while I examine the documentation provided. We will reconvene in one hour." A large bang was heard, and Harper Rae glanced at the hammer on the bench Judge Tillman had just left. It had beaten the mantle by itself.

Harper Rae glanced at it repeatedly as she was shuffled out of the courtroom, hoping she might catch it moving again. Hoping she might catch another glimpse of _magic_.

* * *

"I think that went surprisingly well," said Harry in the reception area after they left the courtroom.

The children were gathered in the playroom with Ms. Ava amusing themselves until they were called back into court.

Severus glared at him and cast a _Muffliato_. "Do you Potter? It is mind boggling how after all this time you still manage to get your way." he sneered.

Harry turned to Hermione giving her a pointed but amused look obviously saying 'told you.' She nudged him in the ribs and made an 'oof' sound and grabbed his side.

"While I do think that went rather well," began Hermione. "Especially on such short notice and largely impart to Draco, the fabricated documents are still a liability."

"Yes, a little warning next time would be appreciated. I am curious how you managed to get all of the necessary parties to accord in such short notice." Draco looked to Hermione who looked at Harry who looked at Severus who silently crossed his arms.

Hermione let out a sigh and gave Draco a nervous expression. "Severus _confunded_ the Muggle foster parents."

Draco's eyebrows nearly reached his hairline. "Well, this just gets more interesting by the minute. Nicely done."

"And Harry and I might have made a few generous donations."

Both Severus and Draco looked at her in shock. Draco let out a full blown laugh, "This is too bloody great. You paid off the case workers!"

"Hermione, did you take proper precautions?" Severus asked somberly. Harry bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

"Yes, of course. I was thorough and left the records for you to review before we obliterate them."

"Good," he nodded and then turned his head to Harry.

"Why do I get the feeling that this is your doing?" he drawled.

"We have plenty of money to spare, Severus."

"And how much did we generously donate from our Gringotts account?"

Hermione's cheeks flushed at his stare. "Enough," she mumbled.

Severus sighed, "I figured as much."

Minerva cleared her throat to get their attention. "While I am pleased this is going to result in Harper Rae's attendance at Hogwarts, what of her living situation regarding the end of term?"

Hermione bit her lip and looked over to the children. "She'll have to go back."

"You can't be serious Hermione!" Harry exclaimed. "Severus said they were neglecting and abusing them."

"Harry James Potter! Would it kill you to let me finish?" she said sharply effectively quieting him. She would have sworn Ronald was here instead of Harry. Severus smirked at her and she sent him a glare for good measure as well, it only made him more amused.

"Might I remind you that I am the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. What I was _trying_ to say is that she'll have to go back to America during the summer, however; I've brought the Calvin's to the attention of the magical and Muggle authorities and they will be launching a full investigation."

Harry blinked at her. "When did you work that out?" he asked.

Hermione smirked at him, "You and Ronald, always a tone of surprise."

"What you're saying is that Ms. Carey will go back into the American foster system?" clarified Minerva.

Hermione nodded, "for now."

"And what of the Muggle children?"

"They'll go back into the system as well," she said softly.

The five of them quietly observed the children talking and playing together.

* * *

Approximately one hour later they gathered into the courtroom and sat themselves in the same manner as before. Judge Madison Tillman regarded them from her bench above them. The atmosphere was tense and silent.

Harper Rae couldn't stop staring at Judge Tillman. It seemed odd to her that after everything she had experienced over the years, she finally had something she wanted. Rarely had she ever been asked her opinion or how she felt, or what she wanted to do. At least in a situation where divulging the information would actually produce effects and wasn't just another trip to the counselor.

It was curious how this one moment could possibly define her and what course her life would take in the future. Her breathing became shallow and even. It simply _hurt_ too much to breath, to think that it was still possible that she wouldn't be able to experience this chance at a new life away from America, Louisiana, the Calvin's, and _Jake_.

Harper Rae could be anyone she wanted at Hogwarts, anyone at all. It would be easy enough to lie to her future classmates; she was good at lying. Her Mother used to say how she always told the most fantastic stories…

And no one would call her Harper Rae. Her Professors would call her Ms. Carey, or maybe even just _Harper_. It sounded dumb being called by her full name; her parents hadn't called her that. They had called her Harper.

She wanted to attend school and learn, had always wanted to really. She wanted to have friends for a change instead of being ostracized.

But more than anything she wanted to learn more about herself. _Harper_ wanted to be a witch.

"After reviewing the papers, I can attest to their authenticity." Harper sucked in a deep breathe. Judge Tillman turned and their eyes met. "Therefore, I find it within my authority to grant Ms. Carey attendance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Harper let out the breathe she had been holding. There was a sudden surge of chatter in the courtroom, "However," she continued. "Ms. Carey will return to her foster placement as the system depicts during the summer break. In the meantime Mr. Miller and Ms. Anderson will return to the custody of the Muggle foster care system with a delicately placed memory charm. Case dismissed."

The hammer once again pounded the mantle on the bench but Harper was too confused to care. Her thoughts fixated on Mary Jane and Walter, and even herself returning into the foster system. They would potentially live in another home with people like the Calvin's. And what exactly was a memory charm? Did this mean that Mary Jane and Walter weren't coming to Hogwarts with her?

Everyone started moving and getting up from their seats and congratulating one another while shaking hands. But what did it really mean? What was going on? Why wasn't anyone telling her what it meant?

"Wait!" she called to the Judge leaving the room. But she didn't hear her, no one did.

She saw Ms. Ava out of the corner of her eye gathering Mary Jane and Walter and guiding them outside. Where was she taking them? Were they leaving her? They weren't even going to let her say goodbye! It wasn't fair! It hadn't ever been fair!

No one really cared about her. They were going to take away the people she loved and cared for, the only people she loved and cared for. There was a loud buzzing in her ears and it grew louder with each passing moment until it was all she could hear. Her vision clouded and turned dark and she felt as if her chest was being crushed by some massive invisible force. In the distance she heard voices yelling and things crashing and breaking, but she paid it no mind. A strong wind picked up and rustled her clothes and she felt the sudden urge to scream and she did.

Suddenly there was a presence of warmth near her and a voice made its way through her grief. Hands clasped her face tightly and a forehead touched hers. Through her haze she saw warm dark brown eyes.

The sounds stopped, along with the wind, and her heartbeat slowed. Harper closed her eyes and exhaustion claimed her.

* * *

At the Judge's pronouncement Hugo rose to his feet and tried to control his facial expression. It was difficult to do so when his Mum was showing her excitement as Dad said Gryffindors were known to do.

Wait a minute. He was a Gryffindor. Not that he had the most experience with it yet, he technically hadn't even been inside the common room yet. Well, it was best he started up now right? At this time he had an excuse to act foolishly and be stubborn and brave and do all kinds of Gryffindor things his cousins were always going on about.

With that in mind he got to his feet and hugged his Mother and Uncle Harry quickly and went to find Harper Rae. Not that she'd be likely to get excited over him congratulating her, but he wanted to give it a shot. Maybe they could be friends and study together and cheer at the quidditch matches. He wasn't really into quidditch, not like most of his cousins. It was an interesting sport, and he did like flying and was rather good at it. But the excitement was taken away when practically most of his family talked about quidditch nonstop, except for his mum and Dad. Maybe she'd like quidditch though. It was a highly impressive sport to most Muggleborns. Hugo honestly didn't care, he'd suffered through many a quidditch match and he could do it again. In the midst of this impromptu adventure, it was the perfect time to start making friends.

As he made his way across the room to Harper Rae, the lights flickered and a few shattered un-expectantly. A strong wind picked up and he could clearly see his parents along with everyone else darting around looking startled. Above the chaos Hugo saw Harper Rae clutching her chest as if in pain. His memories flickered to when his Mum had told him of Uncle Harry's multiple outbursts of accidental magic. He was particularly fond of the hearing the story of when Uncle Harry had blown up his Aunt back in third year.

Hugo watched through the increasing winds and breaking glass as others tried to calm Harper Rae. It was evident that she was having some sort of panic attack and her magic was reacting uncontrollably to her emotional state.

He didn't know why he felt he could help, but he did nevertheless. Hugo ran over and pushed through the Headmistress and his Father, who he saw was nearly ready to jinx her to stop the magical outburst.

He took her face in his hands and called out to her above the roaring winds, "Harper Rae! You need to take control of it! Can you hear me?"

When she didn't respond he looked straight into her eyes and brought their foreheads together. "Harper!" he tried again. Her brows furrowed and she blinked once. "Harper!"

Hugo saw her eyes focus briefly and her chest heave before she went still in his arms. The wind and surrounding chaos immediately ceased.

His Dad and Mum gathered and took over. While his Mum ran a diagnostic charm, his Dad turned to him. "What did you do?"

Hugo blinked a few times, "I-I don't really know. I called out her name I guess. Mum said Uncle Harry responded to her and Uncle Ron when his magic got out of control like that. And you and Mum do it all the time." He shrugged one shoulder.

His Dad scrutinized him for a moment and Hugo shifted slightly under his gaze.

"She's alright, just overtired," his Mum said at last. Hugo let out a relieved sigh. "It's a lot of stress to handle, for anyone."

"Yea, I reckon I know what that feels like," Uncle Harry said with an oddly detached tone.

"Great, I've helped an insane witch get into Hogwarts." Hugo glared into the pale grey eyes of his Godfather.

He was about to comment when Headmistress McGonagall intervened. "Well for heaven's sake, get the child off the cold floor."

* * *

Harper awoke to a searing headache. She felt completely exhausted and barely had the energy to lift her arm. Her eyes felt like lead and it took a few moments to blink them open. When Harper's vision came into focus she saw the Headmistress and the Charms Professor looking at her.

"Harper Rae, can you hear me?"

Harper blinked and squint her eyes at the bright light shining in her eyes.

"Harper, just Harper." She corrected.

"Alright then, Harper. I'd like you to follow my wand up and down and side to side just like that. Very good. Now, I'm just going shine a bit of light in your eyes okay?" The light was bright but turned off after a few moments and Harper rubbed her eyes.

"Her pupillary and tracking responses are normal, she'll be fine," she said to the Headmistress.

"Can you tell me the last thing you remember?" she asked Harper.

"I was angry and confused and no one was listening. It got harder to breathe."

The Professor nodded. "What happened, Professor-?" Harper realized she didn't know the Professors name.

The Professor smiled at her, "You can call me Hermione. It's very nice to meet you Harper."

Still feeling out of sorts Harper nodded at her and dumbly shook the offered hand.

"I don't understand, what happened?"

"You've had an episode of uncontrolled magic Ms. Carey." Harper turned her head regarding the Headmistress. "Don't be alarmed, it's perfectly normal. Many young witches and wizards have multiple outbursts prior to attending school and even through their years at Hogwarts. It will be easier to control as you get older and learn how to use magic."

"Magic is all about intent and your emotions, and when they get out of hand, so does your magic. It's quite simple really." Hermione explained. "It's all about balance and learning to feel the push and pull of your magic."

She smiled and moved closer as if she was about to tell Harper a secret. "However, sometimes when I get really frustrated my hair gets a bit wild and I give off blue sparks!"

Harper bit her lip to keep from laughing. After calming down she remembered why she had been so upset in the first place.

"They're making Mary Jane and Walter go back aren't they? They're still going to be foster kids, and so am I."

Hermione and the Headmistress frowned and looked at each other.

"Ms. Carey, we have a few serious things to discuss if you're able. I'm afraid a young witch in your situation has to make certain choices and learn harsh realities."

Harper's gaze turned stony and she looked at the much older woman. "I already have."

* * *

Minerva ended her conversation with the American legal administer with a polite nod after she spotted Severus with his family and Ms. Carey. In all her years she had never experienced such a heart wrenching conversation with a student. Trying to dispel the conversation with Ms. Carey from her mind she followed Severus.

"Severus," she called.

He turned to regard her and waited as she caught up to him. "I'll be a moment," he said to Hermione and the children.

"We'll be in the portkey station waiting for you," she said and took the distraught Ms. Carey's hand in her right and draped her left arm around Hugo's shoulders. Severus watched them walk a few moments before he turned his attention back to Minerva.

He was vaguely surprised when she cast a _Muffliato_ around them. "What you said about me regarding Albus earlier," she began.

"Let me finish," Minerva said when she saw he was about to interrupt. "I do not pretend to be anything other than I am. All of us do what we believe to be right in that moment in time. Sometimes we regret it and others we do not. I do not have any regrets regarding the outcome of Ms. Carey, but I do apologize for asking so much of you. You have proven yourself and gave much to Hogwarts and the wizarding world in the years past, and you deserve happiness above all others. I care for you Severus, as did Albus. He was manipulative and foolish at times, but he loved you." She paused, "He never doubted your allegiance, like I did."

Minerva boldly stared into his dark eyes. "But I wonder why you think yourself so different than him?"

Severus peered at her intently his eyes narrowing. "After all," she continued. "Albus facilitated Tom Riddle's attendance to Hogwarts by _confunding_ a Muggle."

With that last statement, Minerva turned and walked away leaving Severus speechless staring after her.

* * *

"A good scare is worth more to a man than good advice." – Edgar Watson Howe

"True friends stab you in the front." - Oscar Wilde

AN: Remember this is 24 years after the war; characters have changed a bit since then. Aww, doesn't everything just seem to be getting better? *insert evil cackling*

Poll: In a few chapters Harper will be sorted into Hogwarts. Which house do _you_ think she'll be sorted into and why? ;)


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Thank you again for your continued favoriting, reviewing, and reading. And just being awesome!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does.

* * *

Rose was having afternoon tea with her Aunt Ginny and cousin/best friend Lily. Uncle Harry, both of her parents, and Hugo were in still Louisiana. Rose had tried going back to sleep after her Mother had gone to meet with Uncle Harry and Professor McGonagall. She had been lightly dozing when her Mother's otter patronus had awakened her saying she would be going to help her Dad and Hugo overseas and would contact her as soon as she was able. Her Mother said that Aunt Ginny would stop by and invite her over later. Aunt Ginny eventually sent a note via owl and a few hours later she flooed over to the Potter cottage in Godric's Hollow.

Picking up her half full cup of tea, she added a bit more sugar and picked up another raspberry biscuit. Rose was overly fond of sweets, and was often compared to her Uncle Ron. She wasn't quite sure how to feel about that. Although, during the family's annual summer reunion he'd still put away more food than her and had come out the victor boasting bragging rights. It was a good thing Rose was so active, and constantly trained in defensive maneuvers. The vigorous training she did during the summer was primarily for the end of term dueling championship.

"How is your training been going this summer, luv?" Aunt Ginny asked her. "I feel like I've hardly seen you all summer, even when you've been here you're always working with Harry."

Rose smiled at her Aunt. "Don't be offended, Mum," spoke Lily next to her on the couch. "She's only been talking to me this summer since I'm one of the few people willing to throw jinxes at her for sport."

Her Mum looked at her daughter comically horrified. "You what?"

"Don't worry Mum, it's all in good fun. She asked Albus first, but he's simply too sweet natured. She's just upset that she lost last year to a second year and a tripping jinx."

"Oh shut it Lily," Rose snapped at her friend. "At least I got in the finals." Rose had gotten to the finals in her bracket as a third year, but had ultimately lost to a second year girl from Ravenclaw. The girl was a fellow member of the D.A. and Rose would admit to her skill, but knew she was better.

She had been angry after the loss, and her Dad had caught her throwing a tantrum in her room. Well he had called it a tantrum, she called it being angry.

_Her Dad looked around the room seeing the torn sheets and broken glass littering the floor. When his gaze swept over to her her fair skin turned a bright pink. She waited for him to say something while she fidgeted under his stare. He stayed silent and watched her with his arms crossed and leaning against the door frame._

"_I was angry," she stammered out._

_He made another quick cursory of the room, "I can see that."_

"_It's just that I'm so much better than her!" she finally revealed flopping down to sit on her bed. "I've dueled her before during D.A. practice and I always beat her. It was a bloody tripping jinx for Merlin's sake!"_

_Huffing she avoided her Dad's gaze as he sat next to her. "You are a superior duelist and talented young witch."_

_Rose turned her head to look at him. He wasn't one to give false praise, even to make her feel better. _

"_On your worst day and her best, you may still defeat her; however, it only takes one second of weakness and a lucky shot to kill even the greatest of wizards." He reached out and tucked one of her curls behind her ear._

"_But that doesn't make any sense! How can you train for dumb luck?"_

_His eyes softened, "You are your Mother's daughter."_

_She smiled at him briefly recognizing the compliment, but then slumped her shoulders, "How will I ever get to the finals though?"_

_Rose felt him lightly grasp her chin and turn her face to look directly into her eyes. "I will not tolerate self-pity. You train for every possible situation, as well as the ones that are not possible. You develop your strengths and your weaknesses so that you have none. And then…" _

_His eyes lost their focus and he gently released her chin. "And then what Dad?"_

_He turned back to her, "You pray some fool doesn't kill you."_

_How the conversation had turned so dark, she didn't know. Rose looked at him, "Is that how you survived both wars?"_

_He raised both eyebrows and nodded. "That, and your Mother."_

_Rose rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek softly._

"Honestly, I don't know how my Mum kept up with all of us," Aunt Ginny said referring to her and her brother, and no doubt her Mum and Uncle Harry. Lily laughed at her Mum and Rose chuckled.

Aunt Ginny shook her head and roller eyes at the girls. Rose knew she fully supported the fact that most of her brood were so adamant on learning to defense, but she was most grateful that they lived in a world where learning defensive maneuvers was not a matter of life or death.

Rose was exceptionally skilled for being so young and she knew it. But she also had a large pool of highly skilled witches and wizards at her disposal. Even the plump and lever loving mother to all, Molly Weasley, had killed one of the most vicious Death Eaters ever known, Bellatrix Lestrange. Aunt Ginny told her it was one of the most frightening duels she'd ever seen. Well, despite Voldemort and Uncle Harry or…well there were a lot to choose from if you thought about it.

Rose always thought Neville, er Professor Longbottom was exceptionally brilliant killing Voldemort's snake Nagini. She'd have to remember to properly address him during term, she was always horrible at remembering things like that.

At first it hadn't been easy getting her Dad and Uncle Harry to agree on helping her advance her skills. One of the first things Rose and a majority of the cousins had done upon entering Hogwarts was sign up for the legendary Dumbledore's Army, or the DA. And while it wasn't a clandestine meeting of rebellious students anymore, it was a skilled hands on club where students learned the most advanced defensive and offensive spells to protect themselves from the Dark Arts. It was supervised by a Professor, usually Professor Krum or her Dad, but it was managed by the student President, which was always a nominated 7th year. True to the clubs history weakly sessions were held in The Room of Requirement.

There was also a big school wide dueling tournament at the end of the school year. It was a voluntary tournament of course, and anyone could participate. There were two brackets, or age categories really. The students in years 1-4 were combined into one dueling bracket and the years 5-7 were in another. While one victor came from each division the two champions would face off in one final duel determining the overall Hogwarts Dueling Champion.

Since the creation of the Hogwarts Memorial Dueling Championship, every champion thus far had also been a member of the D.A.

It had become a rather large event, and was even featured in _The Daily Prophet_. The winner received a large sum of house points, which every participant received. The amount of house points was determined by how far you went in the tournament. The victor went to the first witch or wizard to disarm their opponent and in three time allotted rounds. Four judges, including the Headmistress, two Hogwarts Professors, and one special invited guest were present to determine the victor if neither participant had managed to disarm the other after the three rounds. Two arbitrators were also present ensuring the duel followed protocol and neither student violated the rules.

The tournament followed traditional dueling protocol in terms of fairness and formality. There were important differences however. The tournament allowed all forms of spells except unforgivables and dark magic. Her Dad had configured a list of other spells that weren't necessarily dark, but not accepted in the tournament due to possible fatalities, such as an entrails expelling curse. Not that students didn't get injured, because they most assuredly did. Madam Yang, Hogwarts' resident mediwitch, and a few of her staff were always on hand during the tournament.

Because of the high potential for serious injury, each student needed to have their Professors sign off that they were passing their classes. Furthermore, each student needed a written recommendation from one Professor, was subject to a medical exam by Madam Yang prior to the tournament, and required written consent from their parents and/or guardians in order to participate.

The requirements were quite extensive really, if Rose thought about it. It did deter a few students from trying to participate, but the more serious ones always signed up. Her Mum certainly approved of the regulations. She had made a few comments saying how medieval some traditions were in the magical world and how dangerous the Triwizard Tournament in her fourth year was.

Rose believed that if it wasn't a little dangerous, it wasn't worth even attempting.

A soft hooting at the window nearby alerted them to her family's ebony colored owl, Hermes. Rose went over to the window and took the bit of paper from his beak. She idly read it while she stroked the feathers on his head.

_Rosie,_

_We're home safely and all is well. We've brought a guest back with us. Your Dads in a temper though. _

_Love,_

_Mum_

"Is your Mum home Rosie? Did it go well?" Ginny asked.

Rose looked up and smiled. "Yes, she said it did, but Dads in a foul mood apparently."

"Well that's normal." Lily piped up from her spot on the couch.

"Lily!" Ginny scolded.

"Well, it's true Mum. Although, he dotes on Al." Lily rolled her eyes.

"Albus is his Godson, Lily. You know he loves all of you in his own way."

"Ya, alright then." Lily waved her hand at her Mother and ignored the look she was giving her.

The three of them were distracted by the sounds of the floo being activated followed by a loud crash and a curse.

"Damnit!"

"Harry?" Ginny called getting up from her chair. "Are you alright?"

"Yea, I'm fine. Perdita left her toys on the floor by the floo again."

Rose watched her Uncle Harry come around the corner brushing the soot from his clothes. He chastely kissed his wife on the cheek before turning to her.

"I thought you'd be at home." He said.

Rose smiled and held up her note. "Mum just sent a post, I was about to leave."

Harry put his arm around Ginny and she looked up at him inquisitively. "Hermione said Severus was upset. I thought everything went well?"

Harry sighed. "It did really. I mean yeah, we have a few things to do still, but for the most part Ms. Carey will be at Hogwarts come the start of term." He paused and looked at her. "Minerva said a few things to Severus, apparently." He said quietly trying not to be overheard by the girls. "I'll tell you later."

"Before you leave, I have a book I borrowed from Hermione. I'll be right back." Ginny removed herself from her husband's embrace and left the room

Hermes, tired of being ignored nipped at Rose wanting a treat. Lily picked up a raspberry pastry and broke off a piece for him. Hermes nipped at it but didn't seem all that interested. "Sorry it's not bacon." She lowered her voice, "I know they aren't fantastic either, Mum made them." Hermes took the rest of the pastry and flew out the window.

Rose and Harry snorted and Lily grinned at them shaking her head.

Ginny came back around the corner holding a book and paused upon seeing the amused look on their faces. She looked at them suspiciously, "Did I miss something?"

They shook their head and continued to laugh. Ginny huffed but walked over and handed the book to Rose, who nearly dropped it when Perdita almost ran into her.

"Daddy your back!" Perdita ran full force and jumped up into Harry's arms. He reflexively caught her and then grimaced at her state of dress.

"Ugh, Perdita your filthy! I leave for a day and your covered in-well I'm not actually sure what you're covered in but," he sniffed her, "what is that smell?"

Perdita giggled at him and struggled her way back into his arms to peck him lightly on the cheek. Harry sighed and surrendered.

"Tell your Mum and Dad to get in touch with me in the next few days will you Rose? I've got to head to the Ministry right away, it seems I've discovered a new magical creature."

Rose nodded and laughed as he made his way to the bath with the clearly amused Perdita.

Rose said her goodbyes and headed over to the fireplace and took a handful of floo powder.

"Ugh, Mum I think she was rolling around in dung!" Lily exclaimed.

Rose laughed and threw the floo powder into the fireplace.

"Hogwarts, Snape Residence!"

* * *

Harper sat sullenly watching the steam rise from her teacup. She could feel Hugo staring at her from the other side of the room. Ever since she had woken up from her accidental magic episode she had noticed him glancing at her.

The cup was warm in her hands, but no matter what she still felt cold. Harper couldn't stop dwelling on her final goodbyes to Walter and Mary Jane. It had been one of the hardest partings in her life, besides that of her parents. Except that she hadn't gotten to say goodbye to her parents, they had just died. Apparently, almost had she. Most days, she wished she had.

_Harper couldn't cry. She wanted to, almost felt like she might while hugging Walter and Mary Jane to her chest, but the truth was she hadn't cried in a good long time. _

"_Why you gots ta leave?" Mary Jane asked. _

"_I'm going to school. But I'll be back in the summer, you'll see." It was a lie, but they would never know. They'd be going back into foster care and placed into knew homes, most likely in separate households. And so would she, come summer time. They would not remember much anyway since their memories were going to be altered. She'd been assured that is was perfectly safe and would be done by a highly trained and skilled professional and the memories to be altered would only pertain to magic. Harper still feared they would forget her. She wouldn't blame them if they did, they were rather young. _

"_I don't want to go back." She whispered. _

_Walter shook his head. "No go, no go!"_

"_You ain't going back to the Calvins. It'll be great. You'll get another family, and they'll be real nice. They'll make you breakfast and buy you toys."_

"_But, only if you behave, you will right? Promise me," she held out both of her pinky fingers. "You've got to swear it."_

_They nodded reluctantly and intertwined their pinkies with each of hers. _

_Harper leaned down and whispered into Mary Jane's ear, "You look after Walter, he's still a babe. If anyone ever touches or hurts ya, you scream. You scream as loud and as much as you can and run. Got it?" Her eyes went wide and she clutched her rabbit to her chest. Harper watched her swallow and her eyes steal over resolutely. She nodded._

"_It's time to go now kids," said Ms. Ava holding out her arms and picking up Walter and grabbing Mary Jane's hand._

_They waved at her and she watched them until they turned the corner._

_Harper couldn't help feeling that she might never see them again._

A loud crash brought her back to the present and she looked up from her tea cup in time to see Hermione wince. Professor Snape had been quiet on their trip to Hogwarts. This wasn't really a trip considering she had touched a cracked and faded pot and the next moment they were outside the gate of Hogwarts. Magic was filled with surprises.

Harper thought she knew what it might feel like to be squeezed through a tube of toothpaste. To her everlasting embarrassment she had gotten sick and nearly threw up on Hermione.

Another loud noise, this time a bang, followed and pop issued forth from behind the door to her right. Professor Snape had gone in there shortly after they arrived at the Snapes home. Admittedly, she was a bit surprised when she realized that Hermione was Hugo's Mother, and thus married to Professor Snape. She was even more surprised when she discovered that they planned on taking her to their home to stay until the school term began. Which was only a couple of weeks, but still, they hardly knew her. Harper expected to be staying with a magical foster family or something, maybe even Hogwarts. She found it odd that they wanted her around.

Hermione brought over a plate of sandwiches that looked delicious. She set the tray down on the table in front of Harper and took a seat next to her.

The fireplace came alive with a burst of green flame and to Harpers amazement a teenage girl emerged brushing off her clothes. Harper tried to keep the astonishment off her face, but wasn't sure if she was successful or not.

"Hey Mum," the girl walked over and took a sandwich.

"Watch the soot Rose."

"Oops, sorry Mum." The bushy haired girl sat down next to Hugo messing with his hair. "Hey squirt."

Hugo glared at his sister, and she made a face at him.

Yet another crash was heard from the other room. Everyone looked up and Hermione winced.

"I didn't much care for that vase anyway," she said.

"You were right, Dad is a bit mad." Rose munched on her sandwich.

Hermione sighed and cast a silencing charm, effectively quieting the noise coming from the other room. "He's fine, just letting out some steam. It's been a trying couple of days for him is all. Speaking of which, this is Ms. Harper Carey. She's going to be staying with us for a week or two until term starts."

"Alright, then. Is she bunking with me?"

"If you don't mind." Rose shrugged her shoulders. "Happy to. You going to Diagon alley?"

"We're going Saturday," said Hugo taking the sandwich from his sister that she had just picked up from the platter.

Rose indulged him and took another sandwich for herself. "Saturday? Why not before then?"

Hermione looked at all of the children. "I thought we might rest for a day or two. Harper's just travelled overseas and learned she's a witch in less than 24 hours and it is a lot to process. There is a large time difference as well."

Harper set her tea cup down, tired of being talked about. Hugo met her eyes for a moment.

"Oh I forgot, Auntie G wanted me to give you this book back." Rose handed the book to her Mother.

"I forgot she had this."

Harper stood up feeling tired both physically and emotionally. More than anything she wanted to sleep and be alone. Something in her eyes must have given her away because Hermione smiled sadly at her and got to her feet.

"Here now. It's about a six hour time difference and you technically haven't been to bed yet from the day before. Let's get you settled, does that sound good?"

Harper nodded.

* * *

Harper sat in a pair of borrowed pajamas atop a spare bed that Hermione had conjured in Rose's room. Harper wasn't sure if she liked Rose yet or not. It was too early to say yet; she was a little loud for her tastes.

The room was nice and clean. There were posters on the walls of people on brooms, and of ancient ruins among other things. The most peculiar objects lay scattered about the room and she couldn't help but feel out of place and truly and completely alone and unsure of herself for the first time in many years.

Harper had always had to fend for herself but at least she always knew where she stood. This was a completely different world to her and she had no idea what to expect.

It was still early for where she now was, barely even dusk. Harper pulled back the covers of the bed and felt the soft sheets and the mattress she had been given. It was odd to have so many nice things around her.

Getting into the bed she laid her head back on the soft pillow and pulled the covers up to her chin. Staring up at the enchanted ceiling that looked like the night sky full of stars she couldn't help feeling at peace. It reminded her so much of Louisiana and when she would sneak outside and lay in the grass gazing up into the stars.

The door creaked open and she turned her head to the soft knock that accompanied it. Hermione walked into the room taking care to close the door softly behind her.

"Do you mind if I sit?" she asked referring to the bed. Harper shook her head.

She took a seat on the bed besides her and Harper turned to look at her. "Rose is going to bunk with Hugo tonight. I thought you might like a room to yourself for a night or two." Harper let out a relieved sigh which Hermione chuckled at.

"I've brought you something." In her hands she revealed a large brown book with a crest on the cover that featured four different animals.

"This book is very dear to me." Harper watched her stroke the cover lovingly and wondered how someone could ever feel so emotional about a book. "It was the first book concerning the magical world I ever read. It called _Hogwarts: A History_. It's about Hogwarts, and all of its wonderful secrets. I thought you might like your very own copy to keep."

Harper stared at the book. She didn't often possess personal items and it had been a while since someone had given her anything. When she didn't move to take the book, Hermione showed her the cover and pointed to the crest on the front.

"Hogwarts has four noble houses that you can be sorted into. While you are at Hogwarts, your housemates will be like your family." She pointed to the lion, "The lion is for the courageous house of Gryffindor, the serpent represents the cunning house of Slytherin, the badger is for the loyal house of Hufflepuff, and the eagle represents the intelligent house of Ravenclaw."

Harper stared at each creature mesmerized. "This book helped me tremendously throughout my years as a student. It especially helped my first year as I grew up as a Muggle and both of my parents aren't magical. I'll just put it on the stand for you, alright?"

As Hermione was about to leave Harper reached out her hand from under the covers and gently touched her arm. "Can you read some, just a little?"

Hermione smiled and picked up the book and sat up toward the head of the bed so Harper could see. She opened the book to the first chapter.

"I'll start from the beginning shall I?"

* * *

"Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution." - Kahlil Gibran

"There is no friend as loyal as a book."

-Ernest Hemingway

As we are getting closer to Harper first sorting….which house do you think she will be in?

Please review, it only takes a second!


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